Unto a new beginning
by NamesLaslow
Summary: The end isn't always just the end, don't you think? Who know's whats after death, whats after life in general. End of one chapter, start of another after all. This is just the start of an entirely new book for this poor random shmuck who's stuck in a vastly different life, all cause of one small accident. A story about a should-be expired soul.
1. Chapter 1

Its cold, it's so so cold, the black smothering my sight and senses, how long have I been here? It feels as if I've been stuck in this place for an age, the only freedom from the eternal chill pulsating throughout my insides is a throbbing of pain, as if echoing the phantom pain of getting bowled over by a stampede of people. Or maybe just one really fat person, I can't say that I'm used to being the receiving end of it if that's the case.

Each moment in this.. eternal darkness dulls my senses further and further, the smothering doesn't help with it, I can't feel my fingers or toes or limbs, I can't even feel myself breathe, the longer I'm here the more my thoughts and memories slip away from me, who am I? What happened, why am I here? I don't think any of this is natural, how do I get out of here, is it even possible?

The freeze reaches a peak in my body, I feel my throat stifled with the chill, I choke and gasp for whatever air I can possibly get in this unnatural place. Somethings wrong, somethings coming, even through the chill I can feel my chest contort and twist inside, I need to get away getawayfromme-

**"Hello."** A voice rings through my skull, and it feels like it reverberates throughout the rest of my body, it's deep and booming, though completely flat and otherwise neutral, it almost sounds bored. I can't move, I can't run, I want to run far away from whatever the hells talking to me. There's nothing more than silence after the voice speaks, still as deafening as the voice itself, the ringing in my skull minutely subsiding.

I feel something warp around my head, as if my being's been dragged throughout a voidless space, is a tortuous version of an afterlife? I, what did I do in life? Was I a good person? Why the fuck can't I remember anything specific dammit. The tugging and pulling doesn't last long, the pressure on my skull alleviating at long last.

There's another swirl of voidstuff in front of me, a tear in the darkness appearing soon after, and stepping from it a cloaked being. His face is shroud in the dark that surrounds us, his body is towering but lithe, while his shadowy cloak hangs over his frame, bony hands appearing from the sleeves. Even though I lack a body, I still feel my throat clench as I look over the visage of the supernatural thing in front of myself.

**"That's quite better, now, I assume you already know who We are? Mortals from your realm do have quite a fascination with Us, after all."** It speaks into my soul once more, the dark swirl of where his face should be peering through myself. Jesus Christ, I'm dead then, completely and utterly removed from the plains of the living

"**You are correct, Mortal. You are very dead, and We are here to discuss your afterlife."** It booms once more, I feel as if I can almost stand its voice now, though I still feel myself tremble whenever it speaks. Death can read my mind then, huh? I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I don't suppose I'm imaging the capitalisation there, either, and what do you mean by discussing my afterlife? I thought you just poof, gone and dead.

**"We are Death, in a form of which you are capable of understanding. We oft take differing forms based on which soul We are speaking to. And not quite, the spirits of a dead soul may have the opportunity to choose where it may be moved to. Some, particularly those who believe in the godly powers above, choose to live with their God as an example. There are other choices of course, some Mortals choose to refuse an afterlife, instead becoming restless spirits whom stalk realms to harm and heal, a Mortals choice is their own after all."** It feels strange to hear a speech detailing about post death options from, well, Death itself, but it's not the strangest thing that I've heard. From what I do remember anyways, god, memory loss is a pain in the ass. What other choices are there though, Death? Neither of those particularly interest me.

**"Not unsurprising. There is always reincarnation, or ascension to Valhalla. Although, the more disorderly Gods from above have suggested a 'roll of the dice' in human terms for some Mortals. Though We do not understand why one would choose that option, We do not wish to prevent a Mortal from wishing upon such a thing."** I remain silent, I need some time to think bout all of this, and if what I believe to be true then we have a lot of time to spare, don't we Death?

"**You are correct, time ebbs and flows in a strange manner in the Limbo, though I do not suggest dawdling for your own sake. A mortal mind may rarely handle this place."** His words of warning is one that I don't think I should refuse to heed, I'll make my decision soon, I swear on it. Though something scratches at the back of my non-existent skull, how did I die, Death? Can I see how I died, or at least my coffin?

**"We shant refuse you to see yourself before you entered the Limbo, though We can only suggest against it. Scant little Mortals who see their broken remains take it well."** I feel hesitation brush over my soul, but I give him a nod. I think I need to see the end.

The Dark swirls around us once more, and the image of a body appears in my field of view. Jesus Christ, maybe it's for the best that I don't have a body so I don't lose whatever's left inside of it. The mangled body has little humanity left to it, eaugh, I've changed my mind, I don't want to see this any more. The Dark swirls once more, and I see Deaths visage appear once again.

** "Death from drunk drivers are quite common in your world, more so than most others. Now, you've a choice to make Mortal, what do you wish to do?"** It feels so odd, so strange to just be given the choice on where to go, what should I do? I remember God, and I remember his teachings, but to be in the heavens above? I don't know if I'm good enough for that, and my interest in any thing else are passing interests within themselves. Being a ghost seems, lonely to say the least. I feel like poor choices would be a great choice for me, Death. What dice should I be rolling?

**"Another Mortal choosing the strangest option, very well then."** It feels as if my souls being both squeezed and torn, though I feel no pain, but Jesus it's uncomfortable. As quickly as the feeling starts, it stops, and I feel a chill run itself through my chest. I look down, I'm a body, my body. I run my fingers over themselves, and over my hands, I can feel it, I can feel me! My excitement's cut short as dice fill my hands, a set of two in either. I look over the things, they're an inky black, though not too visually different from a common household one, though something's inscribed in them. I try to read it, but the words jump around and dance at the edges of my eyes, and the pressure on my skull intensifies. I don't think I'm meant to be able to read this, though they're still nice to touch even though they have an unnatural chill.

**"Roll them, and decide your fate."** Death booms into my skull once more, rolling the die between my fingers and taking a deep breath, I finally muster up the courage and grit to toss them to the dark floor. The second they leave my hand, I feel a deep-seated illness sit within my chest, they look so slow as they move ever so closer to touching the invisible floor. This was a terrible idea, why did I do this? I should've chosen literally any other option, this was a mistake.

The die spins through the air and smashes against the floor, each tapping of it lighting up the area with a blue hew, almost like electricity, though just too off to be the same. One stops, then two, then a third, but the last one continues to spin on a tip against the floor, almost in spite of the others. It doesn't stop, a steady pace of spinning and spinning makes me think that it's not going to either.

**"Quite interesting, interesting indeed."** It speaks once more, though this time its voice echoes around the non existant room. I dig my hands into my pockets as I look around, it's dark and empty as far as I can see.

"So Death, what's the verdict?" I manage to croak out, my throat feels dry from disuse, but I grin a false grin nonetheless, entirely for my benefit. "Am I to be a glorious hero for the people to flock to?"

**"Each die is to be a representation of your starting situation when you are reborn, if you can recognise the area itself and what type of mortal body you may inhabit. It seems that the last one wishes to be a 'wild card', as you Mortals call it, perhaps a higher God thought it amusing to themselves, its inability to stop spinning is curious indeed."** I listen closely as he speaks, it's disturbing to think that not even Death can have a clue on what something means, but this is the decision I've made, I have to live with it from now on.

"So Death, am I being kicked now or later?" I ask sarcastically as I reach up to my face, just feeling over the skin. It's strange to be feeling myself up, but I've forgotten what it's like, and this may be the last time I'd be able to do it.

**"Your soul will be moved to another mortal body, you shall not remember this meeting, nor will you remember your previous life. Such is the requirement of this deal of twisted reincarnation."** The way he says that, it's so unnerving and worrying, but I take a deep breath, in and out. Hit me with it then Death.

**"Farewell Mortal, We hope you enjoy your next life."** And with that last statement, it feels as if a chills been forced through my body, the chill spreads through my limbs and veins, it's so cold, but it feels as if it's burning my insides. I grit my teeth as I fall to my knees, it'll be over soon, it'll be over soon.

..

There's a flash, and then a warmth surrounding my body. It's a staggering difference from the chill that soaked itself through my bones, I can't help but smother myself into the warmth. Is this normal? I remember the Limbo, the deal, the everything, was this intentional? Or did it have something to do with that spinning die? I try to speak, I try to scream, but all that I hear is a broken gurgling and the eruption of pain in my throat, it's so dry, it's so painful.

A soft and cool feeling presses itself against my forehead, I feel my mind moving slower and slower even as I take in deeper gasps of rupturing air, by the fucking lord it hurts, get me some fucking water if nothing else. I grit my teeth, I try to move, but a hand on my chest forces me back into the dirt, my eyelids feel heavy like lead and stuck to each other, but I force itself to open. There's an orange glow flickering around my body, and the trees, dancing and wrapping around a burning hunk of wood in front of me, a fire maybe? There's a woman, her eyes are a dark blue colour, like the sea, obscured slightly by strands of light brown hair, sweat beads down her face and clings at her hair, her face is wrinkled around her lips and eyes, she looks old, but her smile is a warm one.

She brushes a hand over my face, her moving lips saying words that I can't hear or understand, but I feel the warmth behind the smile at least. Fuck, I can't close my eyes here, I can't die here.

My eyelids are so heavy, and I can't keep it up any longer. I close them and take in another breath, hopefully I live through this.

**Authors note: As of the 26/04/2020, this chapter has been rewritten, i'd like to hear your thoughts on it too, I personally think this could be better, but Ive attempted to keep it close to the original, just less blehy. Chapter 2 will be remade some time too. Keep in mind if you're new to reading this that the next chapter will likely be of a different quality. Have a good day**


	2. Chapter 2

The feeling of something jabbing into my back brings my senses back to light, letting out a gasp for air and breathing in deeply, each breath bringing the delightful realisation that I'm alive, actually ALIVE, human and breathing, and hopefully with all of my limbs intact. I slow and steady my breaths, taking the time to gather my thoughts.

I can't see, or open my eyes anyways, I can feel something around my skull, I'd imagine it to be a very large cloth, it feels... uncomfortable to say the least, it feel as if its violating some part of my head, so unnatural. I sniff at the air, I've normally had a bad sense of smell from before, well, dying, but it seems a fair bit sharper now, the bed smells off, as if its from a farm house made of hay, maybe that's whats the subtle shanking of my spine is? I can't move, or at least, not much, the same bandages around my head seems to cover my arms and legs as well, I can twitch my fingers but not much more. How badly was I hurt from? Is this meant to be happening too?

A small squeaking noise breaks the general silence of the room, I turn my head as much as I can to the source, though its a mostly needless motion. Someone steps towards me, the noise growing louder, was this the one that found me? I feel something weigh down on the bed, sitting next to me, and a hand pressing against my forehead, a familiar warmth materialising on my head. So this is definitely the person that found me, then.

I open my mouth to speak, to say something, but all that escapes my throat is a coughing fit, pain erupting throughout my chest as the hand on my head pushes me into the bad. Why does everything feel so wrong? I hear another noise, a soft one as I feel my body relax, like a very warm bath up to my shoulders, and after a few seconds of that, my assumed saviour lets out a small 'tsk' of disappointment. She sounds very disappointed at that, and as I frown i turn towards where the 'tsk' itself was, the hand on my head gently ruffling it. What am I? Some sort of child?

"Shh, be still, strange one, let your body be healed" A weary but calm voice speaks, with that I definitely believe shes the same woman from before. I don't exactly have a choice in the matter, I'm stuck to this bed damn you. "You have been through much, and require time to survive"

I sigh a sigh of content and relax against the bed, not much use to fighting it, but I do hope that this doesn't bite me in the ass, or her ass for the matter. I grit my teeth before opening my mouth, doing my best not to strain my throat too much, but uttering,

"T-thaaank, yooou.." I say, sounding not too different from myself eating bloody gravel and trying to spit out a sentence cause god it was painful, and with those two words I go limp, clearly I'm not exactly meant to be talking in this state.

She lets out a sigh of exasperation as well as a bop on my forehead, she herself muttering a "Men.." beneath her breath as she stands up, the sounds of her foot steps becoming more distant as I hear a door shutting. And with that, I'm left alone in this room, with nothing but my humanity and thoughts intact. I guess it could be worse?

Literally nothings happened, I don't know how long I've been restricted to this damned bed, but nothings happened for the past long ass while, the Lady walks into my room, zaps me with something that warms me up (its actually surprisingly nice, no clue what it is), sometimes she'd bring me food. Granted I actually do feel bad about her having to feed and shelter me, I may not exactly trust her completely but damn do I hate the feeling of being in debt to another. I've gained more control over my body, too, I can move my legs and arms and I can safely say that there is something definitely off about my body, mostly my legs. My arms feel more lithe, definitely, but there's a lot more muscle to it, more so than I'm used to, but these legs feels off, my feet feel so much smaller, I haven't been able to test it out cause I'm still bed bound, though.

Another squeak, the doors opening, she's been coming in a lot less often lately, not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing though. Even though my heads still covered in wrap, or band-aids, or whatever shes thrown around it, I can hear her ragged breathing, her movements a lot more sluggish, she borderline throws herself onto my (is it right to call it my own?) bed. I tilt my head and move myself up a little, resting on my elbows, at least making the gesture of looking at her.

"You, you should be healed, your kind is rather hardy after all, long day." She speaks this slowly, as if on the border of passing out, does she mean shes had a long day? What's she mean by 'your kind', too? I could ask her, but I don't imagine she'd be pleased with it after last time, instead, I move an arm towards her. Its a very very awkward process of feeling around the bed though, i touch her hands, hard and calloused and move up her arm, her skin feels dry, i can feel both of these even through bandaged hands, her shoulder, and then her face. I gently raise my hand, and then drop it onto where I assume her hair would be, and with a direct hit onto it, I gently ruffle it, sending her a smile her way. I mightn't be able to speak without her getting angry, but I can at least show appreciation.

Judging by her small chuckling, which turns into full blown laughter of all things, her voice rings throughout the room, her voice sounds so much lighter now, and my smile turns into a grin, critical success bitch! The Lady continues to laugh, and laugh she does, she actually returns my head ruffling with one of her own. After a few moments more she finally quiets down, letting out a content sigh.

"You are a very strange one indeed, but thank you for that. Come, lets get you up." She says in a firm tone, I can hear the smile on her lips as well as her moving around my bed, wait I'm actually gonna be walking now? Hell yeah! She grabs a hold of an arm and gently pulls me away from the bed, moving towards her. I jump onto my feet, I can surprisingly stand on them pretty well despite the lack of movement, though a bit wobbly, I wrap my arm around her neck and gently rest on her, letting her lead.

One step, two step, three steps, just slow and steady to get outta here. I take in deep breaths and centre myself, I'm very not used to this at all, and the sightlessness doesnt help. The Lady keeps the door open whenever she visits, so its no hassle, and as the mere atmosphere changes I realise we've actually left the room. I swallow down my excitement and continue to let her lead, with my legs sometimes smacking into random objects, she manages to sit me down without too much damage to the household, hopefully anyways. The seat itself is a wooden one, not unlike a park bench from home, the Lady lets go of my arm, instead taking to standing behind me, her hands very gently tugging at the wrap around my head.

I wait with tense excitement, I'm gonna be free of this bloody prison! I tap my fingertips on myself, feeling the stress around my skull finally being lifted, and with a few more agonising seconds, I see shapes, light and colour in front of me. I gaze around me, drinking in the sight, its a simple room, not too disimmilar to an cottage room from back home, the seat that im occupying being a part of a small but cozy table, theres no windows, but rather just empty spaces in walls that act like windows, theres a bench which i assume is for preparing food and whatnot, along with doors to other (unknown) rooms are sparse, with one leading to my previous room and two more to other parts of the house, one I assume being the Lady's room.

Oh! The Lady! I, with haste, turn around to actually observe my saviour, just like the night I saw her, a middle aged woman with wrinkles on her face, which turns upwards as I gaze at her. I smile as I look into her eyes, the same dark blue from then, and her hair a nicely neat light brown. I only smile wider as I completely turn myself around and wrap my arms around her, squeezing her lightly as she giggles, a cute elderly giggle. She returns the sign of affection, her face cuddling into my furred nec-

Wait

Wait a fucking second.

A chill goes up my spine as I feel something on my head, I can feel them move around, they feel so odd and off, are, are these meant to be ears? I take the time the Lady's celebrating, something she deserves honestly as she squeezes back to look at myself as much as I can. With her face in my neck, I look down at my arms locked around her, they're lined with fur of all things, when did she take the bandages off? Is this some sort of sick joke? Was this the pile of garbage that spinning dice meant? Am I meant to be a bloody furry?

I breathe deep, one, two, three seconds, and then breathe out, pulling away from the Lady's, her eyes lighting up as she looks up to me, is she short, or am I tall? Am I normal? A pang rings against my skull as I let out a groan and take a seat, rubbing my temple, taking care to not nudge my (assumed?) ears. The Lady looks down to me, her own head tilting, I don't want her to worry, shes worried enough. I stand up again and give her a great big smile, waving my hand away

"Hah! Don't worry about me, Miss, just a headache is all" For good measure, I puff out my chest, heroically of course, and lightly thump my hand against my chest. She actually looks rather miffed from that, raising her hand and tapping it against my nose, of which was connected to a snout. I crinkle my nose up at the touch, sticking out my tongue towards her.

"Just cause you're some sorta large beast of a Basitin, don't mean that you're invulnerable or nothing, got it kid? Please be more careful, and don't ruin the work I did on you" She chides me, she actually scolds me, a lady thats, what, half a foot smaller than I am? Despite that, I look down and frown, I feel my ears twisting downwards (a way of non verbal communication?) as I take a seat again, mumbling a soft "Sorry" towards her. She tsks again and ruffles my head, waltzing off, her head turning back and calling out

"I dunno what you things take, but do you know if you're okay with a cup of tea?" She questions me, I hum for a moment before nodding.

"If you don't mind of course, Miss Lady, I don't want to intrude too much after all" She scoffs that reply, mumbling something or other as she turns to work on the cups. I brush my hands, paws actually, over my face, feeling crusted fur along it, I really ought to have a bath of some kind. I take this time to explore the room however, maybe a mirror could help?

I take my time to look around the room, though it didn't take me long to find what I needed to, a mirror hoisted upon a wall, I look into it, and what I see is definitely not my human self. What I see facing me is a furred face, at least mostly shaped like a humans, if I don't account for the whole snout thing, and covered in (admittedly nice) light brown fur, with matching short brown hair falling down the sides of my face, thankfully a short fringe hangs along the left side of my face, at least its similar to my, uh, other body's hair in a way. Long ears resting on the side of my head, the tips of them having small 'tufts' of extra fur along it. I'm a Basitin, apparently? That's whats Lady said anyways, I look down again and look at my hands, I'm going to always think of them as hands regardless of what happens, they follow the same pallet as my face fur, a light brown over mostly humanesque hands with little claws at the end. I cant look much further than that, however, with bandages covering the rest of my body and legs, I can at least get a good look at my feet now, which are actual paws, same colour as the rest of me. The little toe beans actually remind me of cat feet, which is honestly super cute, I wonder if there's more of me, or at least cats?

I hear a whistle, and with the mirror I can actually see my ear flicker at the noise. I turn my head around and see the Lady already seated, a cup on her side and one on the other.

"Come here, Basitin, I got a fair few questions and I hope you have answers to them.." She trails off, lifting her tea cup and taking a sip before gesturing to the other one. I nod and gingerly step over to the table and plant my butt onto the seat, I didn't realise how little room I had to move on this, is this normal for a Basitin? Nonetheless, I take up the tea cup with a hand, pinky pointed out and all, and take a sip of the piping hot tea. I didn't take too long looking at the mirror, how'd she make this so quick?

"Alright, Miss Lady, what do you want to know? I'll answer as best as I can" I reply finally, god this is good tea though. As she places her cup down and rests a table on an elbow, I feel as if this is gonna take a while. I got time, she deserves that at least.

**Authors note: This was originally going to be a completely different chapter, the whole reincarnation thing was going to be more literal, from a baby to a child to an adult, I realised that I have absolutely no idea how babies work and it'd take far too long to get that ball rolling. Chapter 2 will be out at the same time as chapter 1 due to so little of anything Twokinds related being incorperated into the first chapter, and I feel as if this is a better way to initiate the story. Reviews would be highly appreciated, until next time **


	3. Chapter 3

Surprisingly enough, Miss Lady doesn't grill me too hard for information immediately, starting by general questions about how my recovery, that along with the tea shes generously provided (god bless this woman, the smell of it reminds me of Earl Grey funnily enough) and it's surprisingly comfortable here. She asks me how I'm currently feeling, whether or not theres discomfort in the previously, and currently, bandaged areas.

"I thank you for your hospitality, Miss Lady, especially for taking care of me during my, uh, small incident. I feel fine myself, other than feeling a bit off and less than clean, I've healed up nicely thanks to you, I truly do thank you immensely for caring for my condition." I take another sip of the tea, my throat still feeling a tad raw and speaking like such really does grind against it, ought to not do that much. Placing it down and rubbing the back of my neck, in truth I'm hoping she just doesn't ask more personal questions, like what I was actually doing there cause I don't have an answer please no. She sips gently sips at her tea before placing it down upon her tea plate, clattering lightly against it. I don't have one of my own, funnily enough, perhaps she only has one?

"You needn't worry, Basitin, not one thing at all." She smiles politely before taking another sip, well that doesn't seem ominous or strange at all. I tilt my head, my ears flopping against my head like a dog (I wonder if I can control that?). Before I could ask her what she meant, though, she followed up herself "You things are much hardier than my normal 'visitors', you weren't even bed ridden long given what the same wounds have done to a human, only three days, some soothing spells and food is nothing compared to others." She says this with a smile on her face, taking a final gulp from her cup.

"Still, Miss Lady, I do owe some debt to you, I expected some more vigorous grilling bout who I am over concerns over my health. Only really makes me feel worse about taking up your time and resources." I frown at her, and i frown on the inside too, cause while I do feel guilty bout her being (I assume) compelled to save me, I'm kind of digging a hole for myself by basically offering her 'hey you should ask me questions bout anything which I can't answer!'. I, too, gulp down the rest of my dear (it'd be rude to keep her waiting with my own cup after all) as she scoffs.

"Stop calling me Miss Lady, makes me feel old, my name's Anna, though you may call me Miss Anna if you feel so inclined to add 'miss' onto everything" She giggles, it sounds odd coming from someone who looks as old as she does. My tail flickers (I gotta remember that I have that tail) as I roll my eyes, resting my chin on my hand and sticking out my tongue. Childish but appropriate, probably. "Though I do wonder, what is your name, mystery Basitin?"

Uh oh, now that's something I don't know, do I have a name here? Or rather, whoever I'm being have one? Do I have some sort of backstory too? Why can't I remember anything about it? Why cant I remember anything at all? My chest tightens as well as my spare hand, of which has latched onto the table, I close my eyes and count, why was any semblance of emotional control just upheaved then? One, two, three, four.

"Apologies Miss La- Anna, I'm sorry for that, I've just had to recollect some memories is all. Zeke's my name, I do wish we could've met under better circumstances." Wew, I certainly pulled that one out of my ass, though Zeke does at least seem familiar, shouldn't be too hard to remember that at least. She makes a small gesture towards my cup, which I pass to her, the smell of it already faded from the table sadly. Anna hums as she turns and twirls away, merely placing the cups onto a bench before turning towards me and re-seating herself, the claws upon my paws tapping against the wooden floor.

"This again? I never knew a Basitin so apologetic, normally you things are too damned proud to admit to wanting help. Then again, I don't imagine much of anyone around here sees a Basitin, you folk normally keeps to that island of yours, what are you doing around here?" She doesn't say any of this mockingly, but she seems exasperated over it, and I don't think she'd appreciate me saying sorry about being sorry. Basitins' live on an island in solitude for the most part, and they're stubborn, at least I'm learning something about them without seeming like a nutjob. I hum and think, trying to make some sort of believable story up, I can't pretend to be an complete amnesiac, what could I spin together? It feel's awful to lie to her, but its better than the truth.

"In truth I'm just a wanderer, I grew up in a village.. somewhere, I didn't exactly look for directions when I started to walk, but I grew up with humans, so I don't really know how most Basitins are like, it doesn't help that I don't recall the day you found me. What happened when you found me?" A suitable enough lie, I hope she doesn't call it out, I think I covered most of my bases. She raises an eyebrow at me and rests her jaw on her hand, mimicking myself.

"A Basitin raised by humans, hm? Can't say I've heard of that one before, then again, who knows what people get up to in other villages? It's surprising that your mind's as muddled as it is, but I don't know exactly how you work, it's interesting that you don't remember where you came from, but you can keep to your own. You were travelling with a caravan of other humans, none of which I'd have recognised and were attacked by Keidran, most likely wolves given the distance in borders, though they've been particularly aggressive with this raid, fire might've been caused by a mage in their midst's." She says all this in a informative tone, as if shes practised this before, or maybe shes used to it, her fingers drumming against her cheek as she does so. The hell's a Keidran? Another question I'd have to wing till I find an answer to. Shame that she kinda saw through me there, but at least shes understanding enough not to pry. I nod as she finishes her sentence though, kicking my legs out from under the table in an attempt to stretch them, without touching her of course.

"Aye, I wasn't very well liked there, so I had no reason stay there. Did I have anything when you found me? Clothes or bags? It's a little stiffing to be covered in bandages after all, what are Basitins like if you don't mind me asking?" I'm asking a lot of questions, I really do hope she doesn't mind. She chuckles, her hands coming together and fingers interlocking, resting her chin on them. Well this certainly doesn't feel off at all, what's she planning?

"Awh, already planning on clothing? A shame, really~" She gives me a wink, my cheeks flare up and I recoil slightly, not so subtly moving away from her as I feel my face contort. I'm being flirted with by a possible old lady how the fuck do I real with this? She giggles before laughing her old ass off, quickly subduing herself "Relax, Zeke, I'm a doctor, I've had to see everyone bare at least once, especially a warrior. Your clothes and bags are in your temporary room, by the Templars your reaction was priceless"

I huff, my cheeks still burning slightly, at least shes gotten a laugh out of it, I cough away the awkwardness. Templars though? They exist in this world, huh? I wonder if they're similar from back home.

"May I go check them, Miss Anna? I still want to know about other Basitins, and repay my debt in some way that's hopefully not unsafe for a public environment." I ask her, though it's not exactly needed as I stand up. Thankfully she gestures towards the room with a teasing smile on her face, shes at least kinda cute in an olden lady type of way. I'm normally not so prudish, though i hurry to the room nonetheless, maybe its a Basitin thing? I softly close the door, though I'm hasty, I don't want to slam anything.

I let out a small sigh of relief, thankfully she's left the bag near the bed. Speaking of that bed, it's not exactly a straw bed upon examining it closer, not too different from some beds back home, just a lot more archaic, maybe it's straw stuffing? Nonetheless, I do find the bag and hoist it up onto the bed, opening the strap and letting its contents all onto it. There's honestly not too much, seems I was travelling light before the attack. Some covered rations of fruit and meat (not spoiled, surprisingly enough, they seemed cooked at least), simple clothing of a slightly torn shirt, a darker brown compared to my fur (such boring colours, honestly). Its thin but not torn up enough to be unusable, I wonder if its made of something I'd recognise from home? Its not quite leather, but it isn't exactly fragile either. I go to slip it on, but I just remembered, I have bandages on my chest, is it safe to remove it? I tug at it lightly, nothing seems to be hurting, so it should be fine, hopefully anyways.

Another tug and it just kind of falls apart, drifting down my sides and around my legs, I actually get a good look at my chest and I'm actually buff, not the flabby mess of my old body! I touch over my chest and stomach, nice and toned, this feels so cool and oh no I actually have to take care of my body now, I can't be a lazy slob like normal. With that aside, though, I pull the shirt over and onto my body, its not exactly comfortable but oddly enough it feels comforting, maybe its something I had from a while ago, or maybe its because im clothed at long last. Oh yeah, more clothing, there's equally simple leggings, akin to shorts honestly, thankfully they're not torn up, I slip them on of course, gotta cover my butt, there's nothing else to cover it, which means that Anna, uh, saw everything. That's not awkward in the slightest, not at all.

Ignoring that though, finally clothed, though my feet still seem to be bandaged, there's nothing exactly to cover them with other than that, it seems just right. Among the rations and other miscellaneous items (which consisted of pans and cutlery, and other camping items) was a book, a singular page poking out of the top. My ears and interest piqued, a journal maybe? Surely it'd give some information on my past! I flip it open, scrawling and diagrams littered the pages, I gaze and take in the writings and scribbling. I look, and look, and look

And understand literally nothing, this isn't English, I cant read this. I sigh and groan, squeezing my eyes shut and rubbing at my temples with my hands. Of course it'd be in not English, so I did originally come from a Basitin upbringing, can't exactly ask Anna bout it then, I don't think she'd know and itd blow a hole in my story. I check the spare page, still jutting out of the book, and open it up, it seems to be a drawing of a continent, I assume its the landmass I'm currently on. I must be near a village near the Forest Wolf Territory border then, judging from what Anna said, the island near the bottom of the map catches my eye, 'eastern' and 'western' Basitin islands, eh? Maybe its a cultural separation thing. I stuff the map back into the book, jutting the page out as before, then stuffing the bag with my belongings, well, probably mine now anyways, book in a side pocket (god bless whoever made this bag) and the food in the bottom.

I, don't exactly have a plan honestly, maybe I should stay with Anna for a bit and help her out? I do have a debt to her after all, and she could teach me things, better than meaningless wandering honestly. I leave the bag atop the bed and waltz out of the room, stretching my arms and legs as I do so. Honestly these clothes are kinda nice when you get used to it. Outside the room, Anna's cleaning the tea cups we used, though she swirls her head back and smiles slightly.

"Good to get some clothes on you, hm? Basitins don't particularly like being unclothed, even for needed things." She doesn't yell this, but she does say it a little bit louder than normal as she turns back to the dishes. Basitins don't like the nude, huh, maybe they are a little prudish then, explains the natural (mentally forced) reaction to the flirting. I return her smile though and wave my hand.

"Hey, just a little awkward being in the nude, even if its in front of a doctor. I do wanna ask though, do you mind telling me a bit more bout Basitins? I just wanna learn a tad more bout em." I take a preemptive seat on the table, as does she, and she fills in what little information she actually knows.

Basitins are a race similar to Keidrans, though they're different enough physically, they're sometimes mistaken for each other. They're split up into two different parts, East and West, for cultural reasons (explains the map). Details about Basitins are scarce, especially the Western ones, but Easterners tend to be very militaristic and disciplined, they almost entirely keep to themselves and rarely interact with the world outside of their island. One thing does catch my attention though

"They're all pretty short, huh," I look towards myself, tugging gently at the tip of my ears and immediately flinching because holy they're sensitive. Seeing as I'm almost a full head above Anna, and humans are meant to be taller than them on average... "I'd stick out quite a lot there, and quite a lot anywhere honestly." Anna nods, a yawn escaping her lips at the same time.

"Mhm, Basitins are very short, so you're quite the interest, Zeke" The way she says this while looking at me makes me pretty bloody uncomfortable, to be frank. I shrug in faux disinterest though.

"Speaking of interest, Miss Anna, what is it that you do here? You said you're a doctor after all." I counter-ask her, I hope that gets the 'interest' off of me. She smiles wide and hops up, oh god whats she excited about?

"Never thought you'd ask, dear Zeke!" Shes way too joyous about this, doing her little twirl and dance as she reaches down and opens a chest, grabbing a handle from in there, she pulls it out, the contents being crystals and herbs and, a bunch of other things, the hells this?

"I'm just an old lady who loves to experiment with magic and nature, I just so happen to help people around here, mostly humans, almost entirely humans, don't tell the Templars." She looks worried for a second, her eyes closing to a narrow point as if focusing on something before returning to a smile. Thats not worrying at all

"Er, so, you used me as an experiment for things?"

"Of course! You are the first Basitin I've seen around here and had the chance to help, you being unconscious just made it easier to get to working on you." She stops for a moment and smiles softly to me, again with those soft eyes like the night she found me. "I also used to be a healer for the Templars, so while I've wanted to experiment, I've always wanted to help others, do you get what I mean?"

I really do get what she means, she seems a little out there mentally, but she means well. Of course, I nod to her, reaching over and ruffling her hair, something I normally do a lot with friends. Do I consider her a friend?

"O' course Miss Anna, granted, I think you're a little off, but hey everyone has their quirks. What's with magic, though?" She seems confused at that question, is magic really that common here?

"Magics an energy from the earth, something that most races that are non-Basitin can use. Templars are able to draw it from the magic of the earth to cast spells, mostly combat ones, but I've taken to casting soothing spells on you when you were recovering to ease the pain. Non Templars and Keidrans have to use mana crystals to do so, although you Basitins don't react well to using magic, I've never seen one do it, and they've never wanted to do it." She explains this in her informative tone of voice, shes had to use that with me a fair bit, and I nod along with her. Magic huh? I could've been more surprised, shame I cant use it, I don't think I have the smarts to remember the words honestly.

"You've mentioned Templars a few times, who're they?" That's been something I've been wondering for a while. Shes silent for a moment, before speaking up with a solemn tone.

"During times of conflict, especially against Keidrans, they were mages suited for battle, although they had other uses besides combat. They were needed against Keidran mages." She speaks tersely, rather tight lipped about the subject. I shrug but nod in thanks regardless, if she doesn't wanna talk about it then I cant exactly pry without being a hypocrite after all

"Right! Thank you for all of this, though I have to ask, is there anything I can do for you Anna? You've been a hospitable host after all, I'd like to return the favour" She seems genuinely thoughtful for a second, a chance to repay a debt? I'll jump on that.

"Actually, I do. I'm much too old and fragile for it, even if I have magic to do so, its nice to stay warm in the winter, wont you stay a while and cut some wood up for me, dear Zeke?" She asks me, her eyes fluttering oh my GOD WHY AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH. My hands wave in the air as I look away from her, and at literally anywhere else really.

"Okay okay! Just please stop that." She has the bloody audacity to laugh at me, holding her stomach and bowing over laughter too. God this woman's gonna kill me. I do agree with her demands though, she later explains that she wants me to stay for around a few days to chop wood up for her for winter, even though i'tll be a long while since it comes, best to be prepared I suppose. She leads me out the back of her house, the house itself being situated at the end of a dirt road, i was right to think of the place as a cottage. There's already logs of wood in something similar to a shed made of wood, apparently a gift from the Templars for her service, though shes grown too old to cut the wood according to herself. Anna's a weird woman, motherly yet teasing and slightly insane, might have something to do with her solitude?

Otherwise, she does show me the ropes of actually using an axe to cut open logs, having it rest on a tree trunk and slicing it down the middle. Fun fact, this being the first time to actually use an axe, and in an entirely new body nonetheless, I actually missed the middle log bit entirely, but ended up slicing it clean through anyways, whoops. Anna wasn't very happy about that

So yeah, this is probably gonna be my purpose for the new while. I can't stay here forever though, fulfil my debt, and then roam around going, somewhere, maybe the Basitin island? Could always go to the next town over and ask directions. Till then I guess I'm gonna be chopping wood, at least its exercise.

**Authors note: I do apologise for the lack of actual action, I just require time to pass as well as some character build up, hopefully none are too bothered by it. I do want to ask though, I often cut off paragraphs after a multitude of lines due to me imagining it that it looks really blocky on phone fanfiction, however looking at it on the website itself, its actually very small, and I want to know if its an issue with whoever reading this. Until next time **


	4. Chapter 4

The next couple of days pass by without much incident, other than decently long chats with Anna, she's thankfully taken lead of most of the the topics for talking, I don't exactly have enough memories to bring up anything, at least I can make her laugh and enjoy the discussion. I feel like she knows I have holes shot in my memory, I'm glad she hasn't pressed for it too hard, I've also managed not to destroy the axe Annas gifted me to use over repeated use, just required some practise in aiming and controlling my strength. The axe itself just being being a regular hatchet, its wooden handle heavily worn from use even before I used it, I wonder who used it before me? Thankfully I've been able to wash myself whenever I finish using it in a nearby river. I've learned a little bit more of Anna herself too, she's actually a lot older than I expected, being 56. In all honesty I thought she was more around her early 40's, saying that to her only really have her fuel for the fire when it came to ribbing me with flirting, I know she only means it as a joke, but it still feels strangely awkward, I'll get over it though. She taught me more about the world as well as the local society niches and dialect, turns out human writing and speaking is the same from back home so there's no difference, Keidrans and Basitins speak and write in an entirely different language, so I'll have to have someone decipher the journal I have. I did learn the uh, result of Keidran-Human violent reactions.

"So Keidrans are just, used as slaves? There's no issues with that and no one bats a damn eye?" My face contorts into a snarl, my fingers drumming against the table. I've very rarely experienced genuine distaste towards anything really, slavery is definitely one of them. Anna herself doesn't turn away from the meal shes cooking, smells like meat, god I love meat. I wanted to use my own rations to save her the hassle of cooking for me, but she was very adamant about cooking and me saving my resources for when I inevitably left, according to her the meat itself was a long life alternative, I expect it to taste very beef jerky-like though, definitely looks like it.

"Mhm, it's been in place for a very long time, so much so that not even I can recall when it first began. Some tend to be used for physical labour, others for breeding purposes. Although there weren't truly much force from the Templars to control a stern law upon slaving, that has changed recently.." She trails off, losing herself in thought. I blanch at the breeding topic though, do they mean for more slaves or for other things? Such a disgusting blight on humanity, I know it'll be something that'd take a long time to change, and given how archaic the area is I shouldn't entirely be surprised, it still rubs me the wrong way. I do wonder, though, what of my humanity? Do I still technically have my humanity, although Ive been thrown into bloody Basitins body? I still feel human, though I can still feel a pull and tug at my mind whenever certain things are pulled up, like flirting, and when I dip into the river to wash myself I feel my paranoia peak, I can't seem to relax, just in case someones watching or prepared to jump me.

..I swear I'm not normally so paranoid, I do have bouts of it back home but this is just a bit much. I continue to tap tap tap away at the table with my claws, waiting for Anna to finish the meal and letting out a soft sigh

"I can't exactly say that I like that around here, not at all, it just seems morally wrong, but I suppose its just how it works around here ." I struggle to maintain a neutral tone about it, my nails digging into the table, but I swallow down my anger and close my eyes, one, two, three, open them again, it'll be fine Zeke. Anna does'nt speak up again, choosing to focus on the food, its aroma wafting throughout the room, at least that smell brings a smile on my maw. It's still early, id say just before mid day, so there's no sun coming in from the windows, the house nice and cool surprisingly. I did ask Anna about how she cooked things, turns out it was mostly a magic fire igniting logs, though a lot hotter than regular fire, and in specific metal area, kind of similar to an almost stove-camp fire hybrid. My absolutely brilliant idea of putting my hand in there to 'test' the fires heat singed my hairs a bit too well for my tastes, but thankfully there was no harm done.

Anna hums and plops the meat soup (god bless this woman) into pre-prepared bowls, I once tried to help her with that and turns out she wasn't very appreciative of that, so I've been edging away from it. She places the bowl, as well as a spoon in front of me, although I wish I could just throw this down my throat (god im hungry), I instead politely pick up the spoon and gulp down whatever I could, chewing what meaty aspects of it I could. I've always been a quick eater and apparently that doesnt change per-body, so its still gone almost immediately despite my efforts.

"Er, sorry still Anna, you do make some good food!" I say sheepishly, hand rubbing the back of my neck. She giggles and sips at her soup, eyes closed and a small smile on her face.

"I'll take it as a compliment, dear Zeke" She continues to eat up at her soup, I take my own bowl to the sink (kind of sink, its close enough to one) to save her the time to take mine. "Oh, Zeke? May I ask a favour of you?" This perks my ears up as I turn around to face her, oh hoh? This is new.

"Of course Anna, what do ya need?" I reply, smiling wide. I'm actually super happy to help her with something beyond smacking logs with a hatchet. She chuckles and leave the table for a moment, her back cracking as she stretches (her only actual indication of her being an elder), waltzing over to a desktop, grabbing a pouch and gently tossing it to me. I catch it in both hands, nice and safely, the insides jingling and jangling, they sound like coins.

"I need to go to town to purchase some food, it's a routine I do every few weeks. Just say to an old man named Gerome that you're buying food for me, he'll understand, probably anyways" She explains, and I raise an eyebrow, many people has she sent to actually get her groceries? I guess its better than nothing at least.

"Er, sure? I don't see why not, where am I going, is there anything I need to worry about before I get there?" I ask, I don't exactly wanna get lost, and who knows if people would react well to a Basitin, if they mistake me for a Keidran, oh boy

"Head up the path, first left, you can't exactly miss the sign, it's a small enough town so you'll at least not rile up too much attention, hopefully anyways." She waves away the issue, instead opting to pass me another pouch, which shes pulled from, somewhere, I don't really wanna know. I catch pouch number 2 with my other hand, the contents themselves feeling like miniature rocks. "And that right there is magic crystals, also a gift to Gerome, don't go touching that too much or try to cast anything, it'll mush your brain"

Hm, so that's what happens to Basitins huh? I never actually asked her what exactly would happen, I do wonder why it breaks a Basitins mind. I don't exactly know how to use these mana crystals so that bit of warnings kind of meaningless. Hey wait a second-

"Hey, does that mean you could've broken my brain a little bit when you were casting spells on me?" I question, I'm mildly concerned over that honestly. Again though, she just waves me off, turning around and kneeling, rummaging through her chest for something or other.

"Don't worry bout it Zeke, it only affects Basitins if they use it themselves, you not touching them is just a pre-caution, just in case. You could have an interesting reaction to them, who knows. I kinda wanna push for some more information, but I might as well get to it. I head into my room, stuffing the pouches (they seemed tight enough to be carried without spillage) into the bag and hoisting it over my shoulder, fitting snuggly. The bag itself being a what i believe to be called a messenger bag, suitable for the task at least, and easy to use. I whistle a small tune as I stretch, cracking my neck and fingers because god that feels amazing and heading out, though I poke my head through the door.

"Hey Anna, where exactly should I be looking for Gerome? Wheres his shop?" I pipe up quickly, my ears pointing upwards

"He'll find you before you find him, just look around and check out the town." She replies, sounding muffled, her head deep in the chest doing whatever shes doing. Well that wasn't very helpful at all, thanks Anna! I roll my eyes and walk up the dirt path and take a left, heading towards, wherever she wants me to go, its a dirt path with trees on either side. Its rather soothing and calming, it feels like its been a long time since I've walked near nature, I only remember very industrial areas from home, high rise buildings and cars, constant noise and smoke. Comparing what I remember to this, its a very stark difference. Very little happens during the walk, it feels like I've only been walking for a few minutes, but its surprising how spry I feel, like my paws just bounce off of the dirt, that and the wraps around my ankles bring a nice comfort. Ambient forest noises like bird screaming is the only real noises I hear though, its a very quiet walk, better than pure deafening silence I suppose.

After another few minutes of walking, I do see the sign that Anna spoke of before, its old and wooden, the name of it almost unreadable due to rot and the natural passage of time. I can at least read out a few choice letters, the ones being a 'W' and a 'D', so it basically means nothing. Someone really should replace this sign, I'd do it if i knew how to craft things that was actually useful, signs are not one of them. I follow the path near the sign and into the town, and its, exactly what I was expecting, large and small wooden houses litter the sides of pre-established equally dirt paths. Despite it being midday, its rather quiet as I enter, I wonder where everyone is? I wander the streets some more, and finally I hear some sort of noise, murmurings that make my ears flicker, some streets over. I follow the noise and into a rather open courtyard, stalls litter the area in a uniform fashion, plenty of other humans wandering to and from shops, looking and talking to merchants, trying to talk them down into selling items at a cheaper price ("There's other stalls that sell this meat at a much cheaper price, you know" why don't they buy it from them instead?), I think that's just haggling? Regardless, I'm looking for a specific dude who I don't know, which could look like anyone, which could be anyone, thanks Anna.

I sigh and trudge along, I guess I better get asking, at least I know he's old, I guess hes better than nothing. Then again what is old here? Anna's old as hell and she still looks moderately young, should I just auto assume that Gerome looks like some sort of insanely old rugged bloke? As I walk around and glance at the shop keepers, i get a surprisingly muted to positive reaction from the general populace, some friendly hellos and a wave to general disinterest. I do get some side eyes from some, eyes squinting, I assume they don't trust me due to, you know, not being human, it could be worse though. I wander some more and realise that I'm not exactly getting anywhere, so I begrudgingly have to actually ask people where the hell this old fart is.

"Excuse me sir, do you know where a man named Gerome is? I'm here on beha-" I start off polite at least, the merchant I turn to facing me and sneering, face contorting into an ugly expression.

"Geromes up the back, near the fountain, now sod off before you sully my products you beastly thing" He continues to sneer before turning away, his sour face turning into a faux mask of pleasantry for his customers, who continue to haggle. Jesus christ, this man needs to calm down.

"Okay okay, Jesus, I'll go then." I mutter and turn away and up towards the fountain, ears flipping down, whats up with him? I try to shrug it off though, guess he doesn't like furred things, Basitin or otherwise. Eventually after a minute of waltzing (I like browsing some wares I guess) I eventually react the fountain, and I look around. I see few people selling, maybe this is a more prestigious part of the market? The few I see are very tight knit with their clothing, masks or hoods covering their face as they look around suspiciously, oh I really hope this isn't the black market equivalency of the town. The singular merchant that isn't super defensive about how they appear, though, is a very old, very large fellow. His head is large, and a smile plastered on his taut and wrinkled face with a large grin, black but greying hair swept backwards, small but attentive eyes sweeping the area, and upon him laying his eyes on me, he reaches up with a hand, large and wrinkly as expected of a man like him, grin not wavering in the slightest.

"Oy there, Basitin man! You are one who Anna found, yes?" He calls out, his voice is deep and rough, a parallel to his warm attitude and tone, I cant help but feel a type of warm acquaintanceship from him. I match his smile with my own as I bound up to him, a pep in my step, its surprising how warm a man can be to a stranger, bless this man. Surprisingly enough, he still has to look up to me, although barely, arent Basitins meant to be tiny? Regardless, I offer my hand as he reaches in, giving eachother a very friendly and firm handshake.

"Hey! You're Gerome, I assume? Anna told me to find you and give you some things, did she tell you about me?" I ask him, already slinging off my bag to grab the pouches, each of them between my fingers and yoinking them out.

"Oh ho ho! Who do you think carried Basitin body to Annas? Gerome is not that old." His smile is still wide as his opens his hands, clenching around the pouches as I drop them onto it. He whistles an unfamiliar tune as he turns around and plants them on top the counter of his stall, walking around and picking up a nondescript package, then another one, as well as a scabbard, a hilt sticking out the top, all very plain but well made.

"Your actions belie your wrinkles, Gerome, thanks are in order for you too!" I smile and stuff the packages into my bag, thankfully I left the contents of it (other than my journal) so it wouldn't be squashed, I didn't expect multiple, but its good that I prepared for it regardless. Gerome himself lets out another bellowing laugh, grin still reaching his eyes, I wonder if his cheekbones hurt from it?

"Was an odd job from Anna, but she is old friend, very sad if she bite dust helping odd thing like you. Gerome is not old, just mature, and has no worry with helping said friend, don't forget your sword!" He says in a still jovial tone, oh the swords for me? I didn't figure that for whatever reason. I raise an eyebrow as I pick the sword up by its sheath, I dunno if I have enough space for this, so I guess I'll just carry it around. Gerome speaks very oddly, I cant say i know his accent from anywhere.

"If you say so, Gerome, where are you from though? You do have an interesting accent, not like one I've heard of before" I question, its nice to have something to chat and bond about, and he seems kind enough. I end up sliding the sword in-between my back and my back, honestly a poor way to hold it, but I cant be bothered walking around with it in hand, seems odd given how I'm in public.

"Oh hoh, you want to know, da? Gerome is from north, very cold, used to be sellsword for money, for momma, though moved down here, much warmer and calmer for old mother." Though he still says it all with a smile, he does look down forlornly, a thumb rubbing against a necklace on his chest. Ah, I get him, must be tough losing someone like that.

"I'm sure your old mother is very happy with who you are, Gerome, as is Anna, god bless the both of them" Geromes natural smile returns as he brings himself back to attention, both hands resting on his bench.

"You've many thankings, strange Basitin, now go, I have more selling to do." And with that I wave him away, walking back onto the dirt path and saying goodbye, he himself waving along before returning his attention to his stall. What a nice fellow, if i'm ever in town again Ill be sure to catch up with him. Back onto the road, though

While walking on the road to Annas, though, I do examine the sword after pulling out its sheath, of which is made out of a cool to the touch but stiff leather. The sword itself is made out of steel, not sure what I expected, but it is of a very well make, seemingly brand new with no stress on the steel itself, I wonder who made it? It's shaped very oddly, though, almost like more of a double edged cleaver rather than a traditional sword from a medieval era, I'm surprised its double edged honestly, now I'm very curious to as who made it. I place the sword back into its sheath and continue travelling at a steady pace, although other sounds has joined the mix of bird noises, like crickets.

I walk, and walk and walk, though something seems wrong, a chill goes up my spine as my grip on the sword only increases, hurrying slightly faster, my ears darting around and picking up whatever sound it can, the birds are still chirping, and there's no other immediate difference, why do I feel like I'm being watched? The split in the dirt path comes up quickly, darting right and jogging down the path and the cottage in view, i don't stop until I reach the door, already unlocked and letting myself in, whatevers watching my ass can toss off. I let out a sigh of relief as the door shuts behind me, flipping a latch and locking it, Anna herself sipping on some more tea as she looks at me, a smile appearing on her lips

"Soooo? How'd it go?" She questions with an eyebrow raised, I place the sword onto the table, taking a seat on the opposite side of her and digging through it to put her packages onto it.

"Surprisingly enough, Gerome did not find me first, so thanks for that. Most people didn't mind me, there were others that didn't appreciate me so much, but nothing came of it, it really is a small town other than the needlessly massive courtyard, I've never seen so many merchants in one place! Gerome himself is a very nice fellow, too, odd but nice, and I thanked him for dragging my sorry rump here." I splurge out all my thoughts to her, it really was nice to get out and talk to people, even if it was only for a short period of time. The sun dipping into the room was a nice touch too, an afternoon glow throughout the room, still nice and cool for the most part. Anna herself giggles again and places her cup down, pointing her hands at the sword and the secondary package.

"You might want to try those on tonight, they're gifts for you, the last ones just other things for me you, which you needn't worry about." She explains, I tilt my head, gifts for me? What for? I ask as such ("Why the gifts?") and she shrugs. "It's been a rather long time since I've had another here, and its been pleasant, so I want to thank you for it. There's no debt you have to fulfil, just take it."

I blink, shes very stern about that, but I take my bag, the package and the sword anyways, awkwardly giving her a nod and a smile before dipping into my room. I plant both the sword and bag onto the bed, not much I can do with either, and tear into the package, it feels odd to be getting a gift, but Ill take it. Inside the package itself is dark green cloth, wrapped in a bundle, picking it up and folding it out revealing a cloak, large but I assume this is meant to fit me, as well as a belt, made of leather similar to the sword itself. I assume I'm meant to put this on, then? I throw the cloak onto myself, throwing the hood of it back, feels comfortable, but surprisingly thick, maybe it has something weaved into it? Green isn't my favourite colour, that I can tell, but it still looks and feels nice, like a protective blanket. There's a nice enough opening for my arms, too, so I'm not struggling to move them around, whether in or out of it. The back of it feels strangely thicker though. The belt itself was easy to put on, fitting well, and I latch the sword sheath onto it. Overall, it looks and feels nice, but I really hope i don't cut myself open with this sword on accident.

I waltz out of the room, partially feeling like a fashion model on a runway and opening my arms out, showing off to Anna, who claps wildly.

"I knew I choose a good tailor, I always do, how does it feel? You probably know how to use that sword already, you're a Basitin after all." I shrug and tug at the collar of the cloak, shes putting a lot of trust in me with this, and the sword too.

"The cloak is very comfortable, Anna, and the sword looks good too, I just don't feel very well about taking a gift when you've both put so much effort into me already." She waves her hands in the air, as if I'm speaking plain blasphemy as I reply to her.

"Stop stop stop! We've given you these because we want to help you, Gerome included as he supplied the sword. You're an interesting man, Zeke, and we want you to do well, wherever you wander." She continues, its actually a bit much to handle as I look at myself, the cloak reaching down just below my knees, a sad smile on my face. I don't reply, though, instead I walk into her and hold her softly, squeezing lightly and uttering a "thank you" anyways. She returns the hug, patting me on the back.

"You were hurt, very very bad Zeke, its a miracle that you lived, you really should've died there you beastly thing, burned all around and barely breathing, however you lived is a sign from the Gods that you're meant to do something, potentially great things, Templars, other humans and whoever else be damned if they try to stop you." Despite, you know, being called a beast, she says it in such a sincere tone, maybe its a way she deals with being worried, I was that burned and damaged, huh? Thanks for keeping me alive, Death, so I could live once more. I only hold her tighter, resting my head on hers. She really is very motherly, god bless her soul. As she finally lets go, turns out shes cooking food, I walk back into my room and lay my cloak and sword down before returning to the table, awaiting for her to finish up. I'll have to cut up some more logs after this late lunch almost dinner thing, but this, this has been a nice day. My heart and chest feels full and with a smile on my face, this feels... really good, thank you Anna, and Gerome, and whoever else helped me.

**Authors note: Some more character development and other worldly things, I was thinking of doing a character profile for Zeke and others, akin to what Tom did in his character page, could help solidify who's who and whatnot, I'll most likely put them in the authors note part of a chapter, as well as in my (rather barren) profile page. Thank you for reading, leave a review if you wish, thank you all who has reviewed and followed, it feels rather nice. Until next time. ALSO IVE JUST REALISED AFTER 4 CHAPTERS AND A FEWS DAYS THAT IVE BEEN SPELLING BASITIN WRONG**

**WHOOPS**

**HAS BEEN FIXED NOW HOPEFULLY**


	5. Chapter 5

After the heart-felt moment last night with Anna, she's looked and acted a lot more calmer than usual, I know not why she's put so much faith into me but I won't let her down. I spent that night post dinner examining the cloak shes gifted me, the extra weight is strange, but it seems to be leather or something similar to it, I assume to be added protection in a fight should one break out, both the cloak and the sword's still on my bed. However that was last night, this is today, the sun bares down on my back, it's already midday, I grunt lightly as I swing the axe onto the log, splitting it clean in two, throwing them into the pile of cut wood, I move onto the next one, repeating the same process again and again. Cutting wood is very menial and brainless work, but it's relaxing in a sense, lets me think. Anna herself is resting inside, tending to whatever magical business she does. I've taken to doing the wood chopping shirtless, the wind on my fur really helps cool me down, and i don't want to ruin my only piece of shirt-wear. Sweat beads down my forehead and onto the stump, another dangerous log down for the count, truly I'm the saviour the people need against the menace of the trees.

I sigh and stretch, my back cracking as i let the axe drop to the ground, landing with a solid 'thud' onto the dirt, the remaining log pile honestly isn't very large, and Ill probably get it done by tomorrow, Anna's thankful for the work that's already been done, but I wanna finish the job, its only right. I feel absolutely disgusting though, Jesus, thankfully there's a nearby river that's been helpfully pointed out to me, cause god sweat does not feel great. I whistle another tune, I wish I knew what exactly it was as I wander off into the nearly woods, past the tree with a bark mark, waltz though this shrubbery, hopefully my everything doesn't get torn off aaaaand here it is, a nice little river going somewhere. Anna said that its a nice little secret spot to relax, but no one else exactly lives here, so I imagine it to be a type of joke more than anything, its a good place to relax and clean yourself, which is what I exactly intend to do. I look around, yanking down my shorts and bandages, leaving them on a nearby branch before taking a running start, leaping off a rock and into the river, knees coming up to my chest and straight up cannon balling into the thing, thankfully I've already checked the depth a previous day, so I remain unhurt, but the massive splash noise was so bloody worth it, rising up to the top and brushing the wet hair out of my eyes, I let out a sigh of comfort as I run my hands through my fur, brushing it down and hopefully removing the existence of sweat from my body, begone dammit.

'Its rather odd though, I think to myself', humming and brushing my hands through my hair, the water didn't completely solve every issue it had, but at least its not sweat-drenched 'Normally there's a lot more nature noises, like birds'. Maybe I spooked them all off with my cannon ball? I shrug and continue to attend to myself, though my ears decide otherwise, flickering upwards. I turn my head upwards and follow my ears, clearly they know something I don't

And they do know something I don't, because I managed to miss the two very furry beings right in front of me. I blink, as do they, there's a few moments of awkward silence, neither party really moving, but I manage to get a good look at the both of them. Neither of them are Basitians, so they must be Keidrans, both are a mostly brown colour, one seeming a little more reddish, or just a different shade of brown, I've always had an issue with some colours, one of them having hair down to his neck, similar to mine, the other with much longer hair down his shoulder blades. Long Hair Keidran is at least clothed, or bandaged, having pants and a wrap around his chest, Short Hair being in the middle of pulling up his pants. Black robes hang near by, either they're travelling or some sort of light mages.

I hold up my hand and wave it stiffly, an awkward smile forming on my face.

"Er, hello there?"

Short Hair yelps and falls on his ass, Long Hair jumping slightly as he does so, the two of them turning and making a lot of noises that I can't exactly understand, though they seem to be discussing something. 'Speaking Keidran, maybe? They look like Wolves, Wolf Keidrans are nearby, maybe they had something to do with the ones who attacked me?'. They continue to speak to each other, Long Hair pointing his finger at me while his counterpart shrugs, he seems the calmer one of the two when it comes to other people, maybe they're brothers, or at least close friends. Finally though, Short Hair does wave back to the ire of the other, standing up and pulling up his pants.

"Hello, how are you?" He says slowly, English or human or whatever its called here probably not being his first language. Long Hair nudges at him, clearly disapproving of it, though he sticks his tongue back out at him while he recovers his cloak, dipping into the brush. I shrug, if he doesn't wanna chat, or cant, that's fine with me

"Im quite alright, it's interesting to meet you, Wolf, glad you speak human too. Nice day for a bath, no?" I ask him, floating around and letting the water soak into me, cooling me off. He shrugs and leans against the tree.

"You speak human well, surprising. Good day for a few things." So it is called human here, he doesn't speak it very quickly, second language and all. It feels mildly awkward in here, and I didn't intend to stay very long in the first place, so I drag my sogging ass out of the river and shake off the water, doing it like a dog actually removes almost all of the water. I turn around to reply to him, but he's already disappeared, like leaves in the wind. I blink, but shrug afterwards, they werea strange duo, at least Short Hair was friendly enough. 'Very strange indeed, maybe they were watching me before? Seems unlikely, otherwise they'd know I'd be here. I wonder if I'll see them again'

With my business finished, I brush off the oddity of whatever that meeting was, and throw on my shorts and re-wrap my bandages, heading back up to Anna's house. The sounds of the forest return on the small trek back, the forest can pretend nothing happened all it wants, that was a very strange ass encounter. Upon reaching the house, Anna still has her head stuck in her chest, honestly I think shes gonna get even worse back pain than normal if she keeps it up. I walk up behind her and gently tap her back, her jumping a little in surprise.

"Hey, Anna, I'm gonna go into town to chat to Gerome a bit, do you need anything?" While it isn't official by any means, I actually don't mind being her little errand Basitin into town to get stuff for her, such a rustic little town is actually rather nice. She hums for a moment in thought.

"Hmm, I don't think so, maybe ask the old coot if he needs anything done though, I'm sure he'd appreciate it" And with that she turns back to her chest, pulling out plant substances and, other things. I still have no idea what she's doing but I'll leave the girl to it. I head to my room and throw on my shirt, can't forget my cloak either, and strapping on my sword to my hip. Anna's moved a mirror to my room last this morning, apparently. My hairs a mess, but at least I don't look grimy anymore, the cloak really does look nice on me too, I wonder what other Basitins eyes are like? Mine remain a familiar deep blue, I wonder if it was my eye colour from home.

I jog out of the house, paws thumping against the dirt path with a renewed vigour, waving bye to Anna (thankfully with her head of her business, shes able to wave back) and up the dirt hill, the winds picked up, forcing my hood down and air to wave alongside it, catching my cloak, making that wave too. The wind on my face and everything waving behind me feels so freeing, and the cloak really help sells the feel of it. I turn my jog into a steady run, smiling wider with each paw step.

Fun things often come to an end quickly, I reach the towns sign far faster than I wished, panting lightly but with a pleasant feeling. I hum as I waltz into the town, down the path into the area. I wonder where Geromes still at his market? Its still close enough to midday, and he was selling near the fountain last time. I continue to venture deeper into the town, skipping most of the random streets and heading straight to the main plaza area, and with the noise emanating from it which I could hear from a block away, I can safely assume I'm right. I wonder what its like to try to haggle with a merchant? It seems like a novel experience. I neglect most of stranger stock and people, heading straight to the fountain, looking around for Gerome, where is he?

"Oy, strange Basitin! Did not expect to be seeings you today, a special occasion, da?" A jovial loud voice from behind me, I jump in surprise, feeling my ears and tails shoot upwards as I twist around, well Gerome actually found me for once, the foreign sounding but friendly also-giant reaching out with his hand. He's wearing very plain clothes, but on his back is an exceedingly large back pack, filled to the brim with items and knick nacks, why would he need so much stuff? I return his smile as well as his hand, giving him a firm handshake. "Lookings you Basitin, all fancy!"

"My names Zeke, just so you dont have to keep calling me Basitin, I'm here on friendly business actually, just wanted to see if I could help you in any way, just to repay a debt I owe" Gerome looks, pensive is a good word, his normally happy go lucky face marred by a serious tone.

"Gerome must meet with a supplier, hes no patient man, you know how that it can be, da? But Gerome must also deliver a package, can you be doing this for him?" Of course, I smile and nod, giving the man a thumbs up. He nods, his lips still set in a serious almost frown, its very unlike him. He reaches towards his back pack, his hand gripping on a lower hanging pouch and yanking it off, his other hand grabbing my shoulder and yanking me towards him, and with a yelp my burning face is next to his, the other hand shoved into my chest, my hands reaching up and grabbing whatever the pouch is. Its made very poorly, as if put together in a slapdash effort to make something, it feels cold and uncomfortable to the touch digging into my hands, and as my hands clench around it further, whatever's inside is made of metal, and equally cold.

"Do. Not. let anyone see this, da? To the broken house furthest from the sign" His tone is grave and I quickly nod, his grip on me only tightening before letting go a few seconds later, his face back to his regular smile "Thankings you, strange Zeke! Gerome must be off, very busy!"

And with that note he swaggers off, as if the grave gravity was just a mere dream. I stick the pouch, of which confirms that it wasn't a dream into a cloak pocket, shakily turning around and speed walking off and far away from the scene. Broken house, though, I imagine itd be one of the completely run down and and abandoned ones. I hope this doesn't get me shanked.

It only took a few minutes of walking away from the town centre to get to a really run down part of downs, a slums part of the town. No one seemed to live around here, or maybe they just don't want to attracted attention, with what I am, and the green cloak, I'm definitely attracting some attention. I turn around and, surprisingly, I can see the town sign from here, and looking forwards I can see a house at the end of the street path, surely that's what Gerome meant. I pick up my speed, moving faster towards the house, quicker I can do this the quicker I can get outta here.

I reach the house, its door shattered open and a terrible stench emanating from it, I swallow my anxiousness and head inside. The inside is just as ruined as the outside, furniture overturned, with busted walls, rats skitter across the floor and the smell only intensifies. I 'urk' and cover my mouth, grimacing as I scamper inside like the rats themselves. I move to the back of the room and flip over my hood, praying to whatever gods up there that I dont have to be in this hole too long.

I wait there for what feels like hours, I can feel myself slowly dying inside this pit of a house. When I offered help, I didnt expect to be stuck in this hole. The door slowly swings ajar, and my head and ears pop up, and steps in a man, not quite what I expected. He looks frail and jittery, his face covered in soot and scars, borderline bald. His nerves only seems to stutter further when he sees me, his grimacing face turning into a terrified one

"W-w-w-who are you?" He seems ready to bolt, his robe shaking with his shuddering movements, already stepping back. I reach inside my cloak and pull out the damned pouch, showing him both my hands and whatever the package is meant to be.

"Hey, relax there, I don't wanna be here either, so lets get this outta the way together. I'm here on Geromes behalf, no one else and nothing more. What's the exchange meant to be?" I keep a firm and level voice when speaking to Frail, one of us has to be in calm here. That alone at least calms his nerves, he lets out a shuddering sight before moving inside, the useless door mostly closed. He remains hunched over, a hand close to his chest while the other fumbles around in his pockets, shaking hands pulling out a, rock? A very pretty, very blue rock, but still a rock, holding it up. Even in the non existent light, it still seems to shine with an otherworldly glow.

"H-h-here, take the damn thing, you have no idea how dangerous it was to get it." He stuffs the rock into a bag strapped to his hip, pulling it up and basically throwing it at my direction. I catch it with an arm, fumbling with it before placing it next to me. I instead walk up to him and hand him my pouch, the cold metal finally out of my hands, thank lord

"Alright, we done here then?" He nods, stuffing the pouch into a pocket an turns around, nearly taking out his own legs in the process due to haste. He does let out a single sigh of relief, must've been hanging over him pretty heavily. I turn to grab my own bag, the door opening as the Fragile dude leaves the house.

A small thud catches my attention and a shuddering gasp, my ears flickering towards the door. I turn around to glance at the entrance, Fragile laid out on the floor and trying his best to crawl away from a figure, armour clad with a helmet covering his visage, head tilting backwards as a smug sneer etches across his face.

"And whats this happening here, hm? I've heard reports of illicit trafficking round these parts, its nice to have such reliable sources, of course you criminals wouldn't appreciate proper justice so much" His voice echoes across the room, a chill going up my spine, armoured plated gear crunching against the muck of the wooden floor boards. Oh man, I'm a criminal, I fully blame Gerome for this. He snickers as he gazes to the man sprawled across the floor, backing up into a wall with fear smothering his blubbering face.

My hood still covers my face at leas, but I feel my lips turn into a feral frown, who ratted us out, who's the snitch? Regardless, I put my sword arm on the hilt of my weapon, wrapping around it like a life line.

"I've not the fainted idea of what you mean, Sir Guard, we're only having a discussion here." I try to keep calm, but I cant keep the wavering out of my voice, chest tightening. The Guard stops and holds out his arms, a mocking smile on his face

"Silence, you filthy thing, the humans are talking." Now that really grinds my gears, teeth grinding against teeth as my tail stiffens. My fingers tap against my hilt of my sword, taking the time to breathe, in and out, getting angry is what this scumbag wants to happen. I humph, lips still in a grimace.

"Listen here, bud, there there's nothing happening here that concerns you, lets just go on our merry way, shall we?" I ask in a light tone, the Guard himself clearly didn't appreciate that joke, sword already drawn and lunging towards me. I pull my own sword out, the clanging of blades killing the silence in the overall area. Thankfully, the robed man takes this as a hint to get outta dodge, fumbling out the door himself and sprinting, not turning back. I hold the sword against the Guard, blade on blade before pushing him backwards. Full plate armour, dont think I can punch this out, I dont wanna permanently maim or kill him, small sections cut out around the joints for mobility purposes, but there is gaps in the armour above his legs.. He recovers quickly, sword already held up towards me, I take my own in two hands, slightly to the right, but at least attempting to keep it close to the middle, a natural position, I gotta do this quickly though.

His face turns back into an ugly expression again, advancing forwards and quickly jabbing with the tip of his sword, blocking it with the flat of mine, I instead decide to push into the man, throwing my body weight against him, I have no idea how to actually fight with this thing, He stumbles, before he recovers I try to land a cut on him, nothing that magic wouldn't fix, biting into his upper thigh and pulling away, he hisses in pain and lunges again, a cut from the upper right, I catch it with the flat again, and instead of pushing away, I redirect the sword downwards, a leg coming up and kicking against his cut, trying my best to dig it in as much as possible. The intended effect was for him to just suffer a bit, little pain didn't hurt anyone for too long, and its better than death, instead the man howled in pain, dropping to his knee. Not one to pass up the opportunity I raise my sword up high and taking the change bring it down on his helmet. It rings a deafening noise, the Guard actually throws off the helmet, to remove the noise, and I see his face. His short hair is a dirty blonde, mattered to his face with sweat, his face contorted in pain, anger and disgust, and despite that he still looks extremely young, no more than 20 at the most, I still see some baby face there dammit.

The fights basically over, hes been disarmed and at my mercy. I flick his sword away and sheath my own, instead grabbing the bag with Geromes package and heave it over my shoulder, I jog out of the room, turning back to look at the guard as he stumbles to his feet, limping towards his sword, I look down and frown, then call out to him.

"Hey! For what its worth, I don't hate you or anything, and I don't wanna be a bad guy, this is just a favour for a friend, no hard feelings." He turns to look at me, a confused expression on his face before turning sour.

"Just, get outta here, disgusting thing." He almost mumbles it out, the words lack the bite it had before, still limping to grap his sword, hopefully his pride is hurt more than the rest of him. I shrug and turn around sprinting out of the house and up the street, I swear to god Gerome you better get me a girl for the night as payment otherwise I'm gonna be livid.

My sprint turns into a light jog as I run into the main plaza once again, the merchants are slowly scampering out, my hold on the package only tightening as I rush past them all, please still be at the fountain. Lo and behold, the man is still there, thank god, I wave him over as I catch his eye, him waving back.

"Oy there, strange Zeke! How go delivery?" The smile on his face belies the gravity of whatever task he gave me, and I let it show on my face, I feel it turn into a snarl as I basically toss his bag at him.

"Your delivery sucked ass, actual ass, I had to fight a guard for gods sake, what was that?" I whisper to him, but in an angry tone of voice, crossing my arms and tapping my paw onto the stone ground, Gerome is at least tactful enough to pretend to act embarrassed over it.

"Gerome.. figured something would happen, and wanted to take small break from bribing guard, who else better than young Zeke! Nice combat experience for Basitin man, da?" I groan and rub my face in my hands, Anna would kill me for this, and yet, I suppose its better to have something under my belt instead of nothing.

"Id have preferred if it was planned, at least, but the guard should live and I didn't get scratched, though the other dude picking up the pouch looked scared outta his mind. What was in either of them, anyways?" I tilt my head, snickering as Gerome scratches the back of his head, clearly a little uncomfortable.

"Oy, Zeke knowing how to ask hard questions, lets say that Templars are very upset with others." I sigh and place my head on my face, squinting as i close my eyes shut tightly, I'm rather upset still.

"Normally I'd leave it at this, but I feel like i deserve some compensation for doing your dirty work, what say you?" He looks around nervously, before gesturing towards himself as he walks behind his store. I gingerly walk up to it as he rummages down the bottom, I'll bolt at the first possible moment, I swear. He fiddles around at the bottom, only his back really visible, before yelling out a triumphant noise, pulling up.. gloves, gloves and chain mail?

"Here you go, young Zeke! Gloves fitting of the north Gerome and Old Mother grew up in, re-purposed for less cold life, and chain mail fitting of a warrior like yourself, good rewards, da?" While I feel mildly mocked, I cant help but wanna accept the gifts, they're at least effective.

"Lemme try them on and we might have a deal" Is my simple reply, Gerome doesn't skip a beat and leaves them in my hands. I shrug off my cloak and lay it on his counter, slipping on the gloves and then the chain mail. The gloves are an acceptable fit, and the chain mail is light, but tugging on it makes it seem tough enough, at least to take a hit. I throw the cloak back on myself and look down, the mail looks a little bit off, but I guess i can put it under my shirt, surely my fur would make it less cold. Gerome looks expectantly at me, a smile on his stupid stupid face as I sigh

"They're good, we got a deal, you're still a friend Gerome just, don't do that again without telling me, okay?" He chuckles and reaches out a hand, and giving him that handshake I feel like we've made a deal of some kind. I wave my good byes to him, its getting late and I don't wanna deal with Templars around here, and head back off to Annas. The birds are silent, most of them anyways, I still hear the faint "hooing" of an owl somewhere, and the croaking of a frog.

What an interesting day, I really do hope that guard comes out alright, I'm surprised he didn't expect something dirty from me, but 'the way it goes. He'll recover with time and magic anyways. I whistle another tune to pass the time as I pick up the pace, don't wanna worry her after all. Oh wait a second!

I unsheathe my sword mid run, looking over at the edge. I have no idea how to actually care for a weapon, thankfully the edges are free of notches or blunting that could've happened from the fight, so that's sweet. I sheath the sword and flex my hands, the gloves actually feel super thick on my hands, I wonder how hard I can punch something without it hurting? The dirt path to Annas home comes up quickly, a swift turn into her road and I'm already in her cottage.

"Come on Anna, I was just helping Gerome delivering stuff, I'm fine, I swear!" I explain to her, opting to tell her a half truth, I did help deliver stuff after all. She huffed, she wasn't very happy about it obviously, but she still pat me on my shoulder and gave her signature motherly smile.

"Okay, Zeke, I just don't want you to get hurt is all." She sounds so sad, and her motherly smile turns into a sad one. I ruffle up her hair (god she hates that) and give her a grin of my own, as well as a hug to reassure her.

The dinner she prepared was cold, but I loved it and thanked her regardless, the night didn't last long after that, I placed my bowl on the bench and headed off to bed. Stripping myself of my everything except shorts and throwing myself onto the bed, letting the dark envelop my eyes.

**Authors note: I do apologise if the fighting was sub-par, I don't mean for Zeke to be an actual warrior yet, more of a much-too-large Basitian scheming until he feels more able and confident in his abilities. Also, I've decided to write out profiles for each character, they'll be here and on my profile, eventually anyways**

**Zeke(?)**

**Gender: Male**

**Age: 22**

**Class: Wanderer**

**Species: Basitin**

**Personality: An almost amnesiac, from his time spent wandering the in-between crippling most memories given new life in a body of a Basitin. Generally friendly though anxious at times which leads to some paranoia, lacking social nuance in some occasions. He means well otherwise.**

**Anna**

**Gender: Female**

**Age: 56**

**Class: Ex-Templar Priest**

**Species: Human**

**Personality: An ex priest of the Templars, Anna has since retired (let go) from Templar, partially due to personal qualms and partially due to age. A little bit eccentric and lonely, she treats the humans of a nearby town with magical and organic aid.**

**Gerome**

**Gender: Male**

**Age: ?**

**Class: Merchant**

**Species: Human**

**Personality: An ex-sellsword from the north turned merchant, he dabbles in less than legal ways to obtain his stock, a friendly attitude to friends and strangers, he takes his line of work seriously.**


	6. Chapter 6

Much to my dismay, the biological clock inside of me boots my furry butt awake, rubbing my eyes and opening them wide afterwards, blinking rapidly before groaning, I mashing my face back into the pillow in a fruitless effort to return to the comfort of the dark. I just wanna sleep in for a bit dammit, especially after yesterday, first chance I get I'm gonna beat this clock into submission, see how it likes it. I twist and turn, sitting up and yawning, puffing up and stretching, letting out little happy sighs as my back cracks, probably shouldn't have slept in that possible, but the damages already been done, still worth it.

I slowly turn and sit on the side of my bed, mashing my face with my hands to force myself away, eyes finally zapping to attention. I squint, and then open my eyes wide, reaching down and grabbing my paw, bringing it up for a closer inspection. It's covered in dirt, naturally, but its also very obviously caked in blood from the fight. 'God dammit' I think to myself, grumbling and leaping onto my feet 'I was gonna wash at least, but I really hope that she doesn't see this.' I don't particularly wanna sniff myself, too spooked, so I'm gonna assume I smell like garbage anyways. I quickly toss on my shirt, at least moving the rest of my gear onto the bed and speed walk out of the room, Anna already in the process of walking into my room, I give her a quick hug, picking up speed dashing past her with a surprised-confused look on her face

"HeyAnnagonnawashbebacksoonbye!" I blurt out, door already open and swinging myself a steep left using the frame of the door, Annas blurting out a muffled message as I continue to rush to the back of the house, I'll get to axing down logs later and following the memorised path to the river, tossing my shirt onto a branch and fumbling to drop my shorts, at least I manage it before I reach the river and leaping into it. The water brushes and soaks into my fur, I already feel so much cleaner, I swim upwards and let in a breath of fresh air, shaking my head to clear my vision of my soaked hair, my hands reaching down and scraping and intensely brushing at my paw, gotta get the blood off, get off of me dammit!

After a few seconds of the intense brushing, my paw feels so much cleaner, and the previously solid blood flows with the water downstream, effectively liquefied, and with the shake of a leg I move back to cleaning the rest of my body, a needed but uneventful process. 'I gotta leave her soon, I can feel it in my bones, and so can she' I think to myself grimly, face turning into a frown as I scrape and wash down my arms 'It feels like a lust for adventure, or just moving around, I do owe her more than a few visits though, could help out around the house while I'm here too.' My musings are cut short by a small cough, my ears perking up and towards the noise. Turning behind me, Anna stands with her arms crossed, a frown of clear disapproval on her face, I look up to her and smile sheepishly, my ears flattening as I wave to her.

"Er, hey! Just wanted to get clean nice and early, ya know?" I let out a small nervous laugh as she stares me down, but she sighs and pinches her eyes soon after. I look down at my bare body and yelp, only just realising that I'm slightly vulnerable as I dip the rest of my body under the water, only my head poking out from the water.

"Calm down Zeke, I've already seen what you have 'packaged', I just need to chat with you when you have time is all, while I'd love to see you squirm a bit, it's also a serious topic." I force myself to sink deeper into the river, maybe i could become a fish to escape this torment. I do nod and give her a solid thumbs up as she finishes her sentence.

"Heythatsgreatcanyouleavenowthanks" It's actually becoming more difficult to keep myself sunken into the river, partially due to the force of it, Anna herself laughs aloud (bloody Demon Woman) as walks back up, hopefully far away from me and back to her house. I only huff as I swim to the shoreline, what was I thinking about before? Probably wasn't too important. My cleaning session only slightly ruined, I shake like a dog once more, at least that's a constant way to freshen myself up. Ears flicker as a chill runs up my spine, there's something behind me, I turn around , praying to got there isn't another thing looking at me, tail snaking around a leg as I do so and covering up as best as I can. Lo and behold, Short Hair from yesterday sitting down and a mirthful smile on his stupid mug, waving oh so innocently. I yelp and hop behind a rock, crouching down, the grace of my shorts nearby saving my ass, I grumble and cover myself up, making extra sure that its on tight before standing up straight again, my own arms crossed as I stare down at the laughing Keidran, the shoe is on the other foot now.

"Okay, what is up with you people today? Inconsiderate assholes, I swear to god, I'll kick your ass!" I yell aloud, hopefully Anna doesn't hear and point at Short Hair, he himself busting a gut at my annoyance, ears flattening again. I pinch my eyes as I feel a headache coming up already, its too damn early for this, the other hand rubbing the side of my head, and after a few moments I re-open my eyes, Short Hair covering his mouth but his eyes still twinkling with a mischievous, I bet hes still grinning at my face, asshole.

"Just teasing, of course, thought you'd be here though, it's interesting to see a Basitin around here." I hear the question lingering in the air, taking a seat atop the rock that protected my modesty, bless this rock. His Human is, infinitely better than yesterday, still rough around the edges, but his smooth tone of voice evens it out. 'How'd he learn a language so quickly?' I wonder. I shrug myself, placing my hand onto my fist and leaning on it.

"I'm a wanderer, kind of, I've taken to it after leaving a village I grew up in, human village before you ask. What about yourself Wolfboy, how'd you get so good at Human too?" I spout my fake background out, hopefully a Keidran doesn't question it too much. He copies my shrug (mocking bastard), his sly smile still on his face.

"Magic is a wonderful thing, sadly you Basitins can't get too much use out of it. Just wanted to talk for a bit is all, is there an issue with that?" I pause, but slowly nod, relaxing further into my hand, a conversation with a Keidran could be interesting. So you can learn a language from magic, huh? I wonder if I can still sneak in something in my head, it could be useful to, well, learn Basitin, could be kind of helpful.

"It'll be an experience to speak to a Keidran, what do you wish to talk about though? I wouldn't know any idle chatter topics." He clears his throat, massaging it lightly, maybe Human takes a toll on a Keidrans voice box, or is he just not used to it.

"Well, I haven't met Basitins much, but why are you so needlessly tall? Are you some sort of cross breed?" I recoil backwards slightly, theres so many questions this boy could've asked, including my name, but nooo, go straight for the height.

"I don't know, I really don't, I just am. It has its perks though, I don't have to use a stool to reach up to high places." I say in a deadpan tone, but clearly Short Hair finds this absolutely hysterical. Fairly sure I already knew they're meant to be short, but I don't know how short yet. "Anyway, its a pleasure to meet you, my name's Zeke, what's yours?" He stops his laughter finally, looking up to me with mirthful expression.

"A pleasure, I'm Zen, the elder of the Magi Brothers." At this somewhat obvious realisation (the robes gave it away, unless robes mean something different here than what I think), but I nod along with it, his counterpart from yesterday must've been his brother then, we do chat idly for a while longer, actually getting comfortable with each other, sharing jokes and generally talking about our previous days, turns out he was around with his brother temporarily for a job of some kind. Speaking of that brother, my eyes squint, if Zens here, that means his brothers here somewhere, and that chill going up my spine means something.

"Nice to know your name, by the by, I've been calling you Short Hair mentally for the past day, I assume you're here for a reason though, aren't you? What is your job?" Blood flows through my ears, I hear the pumping of my heart, drowning out thought but not sound, my nerves jumping left and right.

"It's just a job, sorry Zeke." I hear him say in almost slow motion, already twisting around, snarling and catching his brothers arm, knife already pointed and primed at my back. Twisting and squeezing it, he drops the knife, slugging his gut with my other hand, twisting my own body and lifting him up, I toss the struggling animal at Zen, physically feeling the adrenaline pumping through my veins, his brother sails through the air, Zen lunging forward and grabbing him before he hits the dirt, helping him up. His brother stands upright, hes robed at least, with pouches dangling from a rope, nursing his stomach and wincing. I stand upright myself, pointing a finger at the duo, feeling my face contorting into a furious expression, a pang of betrayal running through my body, wasn't Zen a good guy?

"Just a job my ass, you ain't gonna take me down, you'll break long before that." The pure rage flooding my skull and voice feels unnatural, uncomfortable, but I'm furious at these bastards and I'll be damned if I take this lying down. The first issue is immediately apparent, I've just tossed live ammunition and a target at Zen, there's an entire river blocking us off from each other. The younger brother says something in Keidran, reaching down and pulling out stones, and squeezing them tight, mana stones maybe, his body glowing a deep red.

"Igniras!" He shouts, I'm surprised I can understand that, , and I quickly remember that the magi brothers can use magic offensively, a ball of fire appearing in front of him, flaring and rushing towards me. The fire barely singes the hair tips of my arms as I jump off of the rock, my senses flaring up with fright and surprise as it blasts against a tree, turning the bark on it to a crisp. I gape a little bit, magic really is interesting, before turning my head towards the pair, face turning back to a fierce frown, the younger brother looks determined, still clutching his pouch and stones, Zen however looks pensive, looking down or away, even as he clutches a knife, for throwing maybe? Rage filled blood still pumps through my veins, my body a jittery mess, as much as I want to reach over there and snap their vile bones, I breathe deep. My heart throbs a stinging pain, but maybe I can still make this right?

"Zen, come on! We don't have to do this, and I don't wanna hurt either of you, not that I can but that's besides the point." My voice still wavers from anger, deep breaths still helping with that, rolling away from another fireball sent my way. My body wants to reach out and grab them by their sick little necks, but god, can I live with that? Just cause they're doing a bad thing doesn't make them bad people, right? Zen still looks conflicted, but he reaches out and taps his brother shoulder, interrupting his spell casting, red mist fading around him. He barks at him, and they have a small verbal scuffle mixed with glaring, Zens obviously taking my side in this at least.

'In, out, one, two, three' I think to myself, mental instructions to myself to calm down. Finally after a while longer of bickering, they both turn to me, Zen at least looking complacent with whatever they discussed. It's at this point that I notice something odd, both of them have brown eyes, akin to twins, but one of the younger ones eye's stuck with a glassy grey look.

"Listen, Zeke, I really don't want Nat to get hurt from this, we attacked you a few nights ago, you were travelling with Templars, so we assumed you were with them. It's just our job, but we can hopefully mix something with our employer to convince." Nat, as I now know his name, looks huffy and leans against a tree, clearly intensely against the decision, though he's at least out of the conversation.

"I knew you two were, it was too damn coincidental." I cross my arms, I'm still royally pissed about this, but my heart sings with joy, he's still a friend, or a positive acquaintance. "I cant respect the profession, but I respect your will for your brother. What happened that night? Why was I with Templars?" Zen looks confused, eyebrows furrowed.

"You don't know? How are we meant to know? You were with them willingly, that's all we saw." I sigh and pinch my eyes together, doing that a lot today really.

"Okay, god dammit, I'm an amnesiac, partially anyways, I'm looking for something to refresh memories cause I have no bloody idea whats going on." I explain to him, I'll give him context at least.

"..I'm sorry, I really am." He looks away and down, remorse flooding his tone. "We, I, realised too late that you're not quite who we're meant to be targeting." I swear god this motherf- okay, that's it. I grumble to myself as I waltz into the damn river, I'm not taking my shorts off for this, Zen tilting his head and Nat looking upwards. I swim to the other side, I can actually manage that now that I'm not gonna get shanked, and walk up to him, standing up straight and looking him in the eye, hey look someone that's actually my height for once, take that everyone else. I wrap my arms around him and bring him close, he himself yelping as i lift him in the air, hes either surprisingly light or I'm just overly strong.

"You're an asshole, you're getting wet hugs for it." I say simply, Zen trying to squirm away to no success. At least Nat finds it humorous, laughing at his miss-fortune. I place Zen down, him regaining his footing as I look towards the young one. "You threw fireballs at me, I'll smother you too if you yak it up." That at least shuts him up, I can already see red mist surrounding him as I poke out my tongue. At least Zen looks calmer, as does Nat by by-product, though I do turn to him.

"What did you mean by targeting, though? You owe some explanations at least." I'm not sure if ending up being interrogated by your 'target' makes you a good assassin by any means, but I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. I hear Nat sigh, and glancing at him reveals him slumping onto his rump, back of his head thumping against the tree and groaning, I'm surprised he can understand us, does the magical language transfer affect more than one person?

"We've been, hired essentially, to take care of and disrupt Templar soldiers and supply lines, at least until further orders." He explains, hand rubbing his neck. I hum and tap my paw against the ground, claws digging into the dampened dirt as I begin to think. 'Travelling with Templars, surely Anna and Gerome would've noticed that, wouldn't they? Why didn't they bring it up? '

"Anything else?"

"Not so much, we've had to fulfil some, trading more or less, for some items, which is why we we're still around but nothing more." My ears flicker up at hearing that, glancing towards him.

"Wouldn't happen to be from some spindly human, hm?" Zen tilts his head, looking taken taken aback, and curious.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I sigh and rub my face, groaning into my hands.

"I was trading a package for that guy myself, had a run in with a Guard cause of it." I mumble, muffled by my hands, who set this up? This cant be an accidental coincidence, could it? Zen's eyes opens wide in realisation, fingers clicking.

"Oh! That explains why he was so ruffled up, thought he was gonna trip over himself and ruin the entire thing." At least this prick sees something amusing about the situation, Nat himself also groaning, either from boredom or annoyance.

"All of this can go to hell, what was in that pouch anyways? I didn't particularly wanna have my hands on it any longer than I needed to." At this, Nat reaches around to her back, revealing that disgusting looking pouch and passing it to Zen, they're actually very in tune with each other. He opens up the pouch and pulls out the metal, thing. Simply looking at it rubs me the wrong way, as if its existence is reprehensible enough, the hair at the back of my neck raising up.

"Its a slave collar, a Templar slave collar, it saps the free will of whoever's wearing it, its why some slaves just cant get away, its law to keep a mind control spell on a slave at all times." He explains, a magicked slave collar, and its law to have it on? My eyebrows furrow as my fingers clench into a fist, breathe deep Zeke, breathe.

"I feel like it'd have been better to not know about it, but whats done is done." Thankfully Zen gets the hint, stuffing it into the pouch and passing it back to Nat. "So, I assume you're trying to dismantle this thing to unfuck its mind control?" Thankfully Zen nods (whether or not hes telling the truth is another question), oh wait a second! 'I actually need to get to get back to Anna, shes probably wondering whats taking so long'. I clasp my hands together, giving the two a grin.

"Well, I sadly must be going, someones expecting me, but you already know that. Attempted murder aside, this was fun enough, lets do less of that next time we meet, shall we?" I give him a wink while he smiles awkwardly. Nat at least looks happy to get outta here, already stepping to his feet, though I groan as I turn around.

"You think you two can toss me across the river? I 'wanna get wet again"

Needless to say, neither of them actually attempt to throw me over the river, instead choosing to disappear again, at least my shirts not soaked, shorts are ruined and my fur is overly poofy everywhere, but I managed to get out of that unscathed. I still feel, raw to say the least over all that, but we've patched it up, right? I shudder, I don't know what I'd have done to them, just be thankful its done with, Zeke. I whistle and waltz into the house, Anna tapping the table impatiently as I greet her with a overdone smile.

"Annnaaaa! When'd you get here? I didn't think I'd see you her-" A glare from her cuts me off, pointing directly to the seat the opposite side of her. I smile sheepishly as my ears flatten, taking said designated seat, she closes her eyes and sighs heavily.

"You have to leave, and you know that too, I just don't want you to." She says finally, remorse and sadness filling her voice. I tilt my head as my lips fall to a frown, I didn't think she'd be so sad about all this.

"Anna.." I trail off, though I don't continue, no need to break her concentration, but she knows I was with Templars that night, why didn't she tell me?

"I know what'd happen down there, you're an awful liar too, even I knew you weren't from a human village." I flinch and rub at my arm, god dammit, she could at least pull some punches with that, I'm a little too attached to her, it seems.

"You aren't the same Basitin that were with those Templar, are you? You lack the same drive that you had, you're not Zeke at all, are you?" She inches closer, her eyes studying my face, I freeze, I want to back up but I cant, I gulp down my anxiousness and cough, trying to stop the constriction.

"..you'd be very correct, Anna, I'm not Zeke, not at all, I don't know if that's even my name, or who I am, I died, this is just another chance at living." She clasps her hands together, looking down at the table, I can see her eyes closed behind the gaps though.

"I know, I realised very quickly that something happened, you healed far too quickly, you were far too kind to be the same person I saw. And that's the reason I helped you as much as I can, you might've died, but you deserve to live dammit!" She stands up as she exclaims the last word, her frown turning to a wide warm smile, I do jump as she stands up though, no I'm not spooked.

"And you will live, as Zeke, not whoever you were before." She finally finishes, her eyes closing again as she sits down, continuing after a brief stop "You were a lot colder, calmer, more calculated, i could see it in your eyes, and much more Basitin and less whatever you are now, just before you ask about that."

Well, she dropped a massive bombshell on my ass, at least it answered a few questions, though I sigh heavily, leaning backwards and holding my head in my hands.

"What a pain in the ass, at least I don't have to keep lying to you about it all." She giggles, back to her warm smile and exterior "You left the Templars yourself, didn't you? Somethings happened to it, surely they weren't always like what they are now."

"I, didn't exactly agree with the way it's spreading, not with how controlling its turned into, and with the disappearance of the previous Grand Templar.." She trails off, I can get her point though, sudden shift in power and direction as well as a new leader to boot? Sounds like a coup, or an assassination at least. I nod though, at least to show her that I've been paying attention.

"Well, what's meant to happen now? I don't wanna bring attention to you, Anna." She shrugs, but smiles and leans forward

"What you want to do, you want to leave and go across the seas, don't you? To see the world around us and thrive, I can't stop you, but I want you to know there is a home for you." Her smile turns sad, though there's a perseverance in it, as if shes been through this and know hows to handle herself. A chill goes up my spine, my ears swivelling towards the door, I stand up, Ill trust my guts with this.

"Anna, go hide." I say simply as I bound over to my room, strapping on my outfit as quickly as I can, chain mail check, cloak check, gloves and swords are on. As I head out into the room, Anna has disappeared back into her own, I tip toe across the area onto the door, Anna seems to have at least put the latch on before zipping into her room, crouching and raising my head to the door and honing in, listening to whatever movement I could.

The areas quiet, much too quiet, dead silence is far from natural, or good either. I stand up slowly, raising my hand to the latch. I pause, one, two, three! Lifting it up and kicking the door, it goes straight into a body, the door slamming back onto the frame, and into my incoming foot, whatever behind it finally getting the hint and moving away from the slamming door. The door launches open, the hinges buckling at the pressure, the figure laid out on the ground as I pull out and raise my sword high, almost feeling its begging lust to be brought down on the interloper. I pause as he holds his hands in the air, no fur, hes a human, clad in regular cloth clothing, looking up to me, his hair flung backwards and revealing brown eyes filled with fear.

"Hold, hold" His explains, startled and voice wavering. I lower my sword only slightly, glaring at his face, dirty blonde hair, same guard I met last night? At least I recognise him, he doesn't have any weapons on his person, as far I can tell, I give him the benefit of the doubt and sheath my sword, he breathes a sigh of relief. I continue to stare at him, crossing my arms.

"Hey, Guard, odd seeing you here. What's your business intruder?" I sigh as he struggles to get up, his bandaged leg not helping him in the slightest, reaching down with a hand and offering it. He looks at it, discomfort glazing over his expression before he grabs my hand, yanking him up and stabling him. He looks very uncomfortable with being here, looking at every other direction but my face.

"Sadly, I've been.. compelled to be here by a superior, you're no Keidran apparently, not that there's much of a difference in my eyes, and there's been a lot of shit thrown up cause of it that's made my boss very unhappy.." He finally says, lips frowning as he crosses his own arms.

"For what reason, and why the snooping? You were a lot quieter than I'd expect from someone like you." I rib him a little bit, clearly he doesn't appreciate my humour judging from his deepening frown.

"Can't say I exactly want to anyone else to know that I'm here, and I'm here to apologise for, urk, our initial meeting." I raise an eyebrow, glancing behind him and seeing atop the hill an armour clad figure, not too different from what the Guard in front of me was wearing, though with a more ornate and styled look in terms of visual appearance. His cape billowing in the soft wind, one hand on the hilt of his blade as he looks towards us, I can imagine him glaring a hole into the mans back. After a few seconds I roll my eyes, reaching over and flicking the idiot on his nose, its amusing to see him flinch backwards and rub at the afflicted nose.

"You scared the hells out of Anna and I, to say sorry, when I said that it was no hard feelings as I left you, are you kidding me? It was a favour for someone else, something that was a mistake to get caught up with, but it was nothing exceptionally personal." Besides, its not like he betrayed my trust or anything, I'm still sore over that, the twits.

"We good then? Can I leave?" He asks impatiently, the sun setting probably means that he has to go back to his post, or home. I hum for a bit, before clicking my fingers, a small 'ahah!' from my mouth.

"Shout me some alcohol tomorrow and we'll be even, I assume there's an Inn over there." He looks confused at my request, lips forming 'shout?', maybe that's not used here, but he seems to get what I mean and shrugs.

"Right, whatever then, the Inns near the town hall, if you managed to see it anyways." Well, the town hall would probably be the big building, so I'll eventually find it.

"Great, it's a date then." He looks flabbergasted, recoiling in shock and making blubbering noises as I laugh, gods this man's gonna be hysterical to tease. I wave at his captain, I assume it's his captain and shut the door in front of his face, hearing him scamper away just makes me laugh that little bit more. I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding and turn around, Anna having tip toed into the room. 'You're not that sneaky, Anna, at least this time' I think to myself, giving her a small thumbs up.

"Everything's good, sorry about scaring you, just got a tad worried is all." She folds her arms, oh no what did I do, an eyebrow raised.

"You had a run in with a guard, hm?" Oh, oooohhh, I didn't tell her about that. I scratch the back of my head, making a shrugging gesture with my other arm.

"Eeeh, long story, small misunderstanding, all cleared up now though." She still doesn't look very pleased, but she rolls her eyes and drops her arms, and hopefully the issue along with it.

"I'll slap you around in a second with a broom, you mutt, just go chop the rest of the wood before you leave." That last word, 'leave', has such a serious undertone to it, I do need to leave eventually, and finishing up the wood would at least comfort her for some time when the winter comes. I smile sadly, walking up to her and clasping my arms around her, holding her tight as her own arms wrap around my back. I've noticed she doesn't get many visitors, and shes a motherly figure, shes taking this a lot better than I expected. She sniffles into my chest (aw now I just feel bad), though with the soft whap I feel against my back, along with her pulling away with her own sad smile, shes definitely taking this at least fairly well.

"Are you gonna be okay, Anna? I can always stay for an extra day or two, don't want you to spout too many more gray hairs over me after all." That turns her sad smile into a genuine one, whapping a hand against my chest. Considering that I have chain mail on, I feel like that hurt her more than anything else, but she brushes it off. Glancing towards a window, I can see the setting suns rays beam through it, has today really been that long, or have I been that distracted?

The rest of the day is spent with Anna, not speaking much, but I got chewed out more than a few times because, I did end up telling her about what happened with Gerome, the Guard and such. I really need to know his name cause calling him Guard when there's other guards is kind of strange. Sipping over tea and idle chatter is surprisingly wholesome and nice with her, the encroaching day looming over my head still flutters my heart, nerves spiking whenever my mind travels to it, will Anna be okay alone? Why am I so anxious? The tightening in my chest only squeezes harder the more I think of it. Nonetheless, I can't let it get myself down, and sending a warm smile Annas way and sipping on her gorgeous tea always makes me feel better. I'll awaken earlier tomorrow, hopefully anyways, there isn't much wood left to cut up anymore regardless.

**Authors note: The scene with the Magi Brothers and the Guard at the house went over a ton of rewrites, small and large alike. I was worried about the canonical aspects with Zen/Nat, but Zen does have some aspect of human speak down, and I recall there being a way to magically insert knowledge into a persons head, though I might (hopefully not) be wrong. The Guard scene (who he is to be revealed next chapter) was originally meant to be a fight scene, but I wasn't sure if it'd clash with the already almost fight scene beforehand, and he was also meant to be drunk in the scene too. If there's any questions, leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter as well as the questions and I'll do my best to clear up any confused thoughts, I plan on re-writing previous chapters sometime to make it more cohesive, but I want to get other chapters done before hand, constantly going back to re-write things rub me the wrong way. Until next time.**


	7. Chapter 7

The early morning mist curls and twists around my paws, another split log hitting the dirt, the suns since been risen for a while now, an almost cold glow from it despite it being a quater way through the sky, it'd either be 7 or 9 I'd imagine, at least it's easier to work up less of a sweat like this when its this chilly and breezey. The mini-house that was previously borderline filled with wooden logs have been chopped down a sizeable degree, almost empty already, each split log placed to the side of the house itself akin to a secondary wall, I never understood why it's placed like that, then again I don't question it, Anna herself was very assuring that it was the proper way to do so. I shiver in the chill, thankfully my shirts staved off some of the cold, reaching down and grabbing the last of the wood I've cut down and lugging them over to the wooden stock, placing them on top and sighing deeply, learning on them and sinking into my thoughts. There's a type of gloom hanging over my head, I know what I have to do, even if I don't understand it completely, but leaving Anna so alone, so vulnerable? She saved me from returning to that black void, whether it be by divine intervention or otherwise. She'll have Gerome at least, surely he'd take care of her a bit, right?

I shake my head, throwing out those thoughts for a moment, Annas lived a very long time without my existence , she'll live years longer realistically, seems like needless worry. I cup my hands to my cheeks and slap around a bit, slightly reinvigorated, I leave the wall, and walk into the house. A melancholic feel washes over me as I enter the house, as if it'll be my last time here in a long time, I continue my stride into m- the room, its just a room now and nothing more. I slip on the chain mail gift, one I hope isn't needed to save my life, I learned very quickly that, just because I have fur, doesn't mean that I cant chafe even after a few short moments, gods that wasn't a very nice experience. The gloves fit snugly on my hands still, surprisingly enough they feel more accustomed to my own hands now, and throwing my cloak on and tugging it tight feels.. right, it feels right, the cloak akin to a safety blanket, or a hug from a mother, even with the hood down. I attach the sword to my belt, hanging onto it as firmly as it normally does, I do a few final checks, remembering to grab my back, the rations in it should still be okay, though I haven't felt the need to eat very much, I can still feel the heft of the journal, slinging it onto my back, I pause and blink, sighing lightly. Riiiight, bag then cloak, remember that.

I fix that issue and re-check everything. Bag, gear, food, if I forget something it's just a gift to Anna honestly. The chain mail jingles on my shirt as I close the door behind me, speaking of the woman, she hasn't awoken yet, and I entertain the idea of just, leaving. She won't have to deal with the extended of the good byes, but there's a niggling touch of something in the back of my skull about that plan. Instead, I rummage through the kitchen for cups, the same one we normally use. Turns out there's something almost similar to an archaic kettle here, just with magic crystals that heat it up instead of fire, or electricity. As far as I know, sugar here seems to be a foreign concept when it comes to tea here, so I needn't worry about that, thankfully milks a thing, just, tastes very different when drunk straight, not doing that again either.

With each tea cup successfully prepared without everything burning down, a score in my books, I place each one on the tables respective sides, we never swapped or changes spots, it just feels normal to sit here. It doesnt take long for Anna to awaken, she sleepily stumbles out of her room, rubbing her eyes. I continue to sip at my tea, gesturing towards hers as she takes notice of it, taking her seat as we both sip at our tea in silence. Neither of us speaks, we both know what's to happen, and just enjoy the general company. It's the longest tea drinking session I've had with someone, the incoming moment of dread stabbing my heart, I'm so sorry, Anna. Her cup clatters on the table, I finished my own minutes ago, but I felt no need to rush her. I take the initiative, standing up and grabbing our cups, placing them on the bench and heading towards the door, her soft steps hot on my heels. I step outside, cool wind still running through the trees and myself, glad that I have my cloak now, turning and facing Anna, she's still silent, after a few moments which seemed like ages, I raise my arms and hold them open.

"Come on, give me a hug damn you." That at least gets a small sad smile out of her, wrapping her arms around my back, a rather warm and needy embrace from the old girl. I rest my head atop hers as I squeeze her lightly, both of us holding each other, god this is such a sad and sappy moment, her sniffling not exactly helping the tone of it.

"Hey, cmon Anna, I'll be fine, just don't get too old while I'm gone, I'll visit you one day" I promise her, attempting to lighten the mood a little bit more. She finally pulls away, cupping a hand against my face and patting it gently, the motherly softness in her eyes is a beloved one.

"You better, you better be safe too, ya hear me?" Of course I nod to her, giving her a thumbs up and a cheeky smile.

"You know me Anna, I don't cause too much trouble!" She rolls her eyes, her sad smile turning to a more genuine one at least. She shoos me away finally, seeing her smile a final time she slowly shuts the door. It feels surprisingly sobering, I take a deep breathe to centre myself before turning and walking up the now extremely familiar dirt road, I feel like I can see the imprints of my paws in the dirt from days ago, trekking alongside them and upwards, turning towards the town. There's no rush, mid day is still ages away, so I take the time to walk slowly there, taking in the sight and sounds once more. Even though it's still cold, the chilly mist seems to have dissipated, though I frown as I step into a wetter patch of dirt, a soft 'squelch' emanating from it. I've kind of forgotten I need shoes, or boots, boots would work far better for travelling I'd imagine, but that's something I'll deal with later . The birds continue their morning chirping, unaffected by the worldly activities around them, flowers bloom alongside the road, wildly spreading across the grass, though none truly near the path, 'Did the ones who created the roads do magic mumbo jumbo for that?' I wonder, shrugging it off and focusing on the path ahead, wind picking up and running against my body, I tighten the hood around my head, but that doesn't stop the rest of my cloak flailing in the wind. The cold doesn't outweigh the mental picture of me looking suave though, and I let the cloak flutter as it wishes, completely worth.

Very little happens on the way into the town, the wind dies down a little before I enter the town space itself, it seems that this isn't a day where people are flooding to the plaza, instead people roam the streets, talking to their neighbours and whatnot, smiling and sharing tales, children kick up a fuss with each other and over random items laying around, their laughs echo throughout the street. I return to whistling to myself, lowering my hood to let the softer wind to roll around my head, closing my eyes blissfully as it blows over my fur. My ears twitch as I hear murmurs, the street a lot more silent as I walk past some humans. I tense my muscles to prepare for action, though I continue to try to look casual as I make my way to the plaza, that way I can at least get my bearings. My eyes shoot open as I feel a soft tug at the tail end of my cloak, turning my head to face the sudden touch, I see a small child no older than 10 yanking at it, shes actually gotten a surprisingly firm and tight hold on it, I didn't even hear her walk next to me. She looks up to my face, her mid length hair bobbing lightly as she does so, the front of it reaching barely above her eyes while the back of her hair reach just above her shoulders, neatly made to my surprise. Her eyes are a gorgeous and adorable ruby red, filled with that child curiosity, shes wearing a plain green (albeit well worn) shirt and shorts, her head tilting.

"Hey Mister, can I touch your ears?" She asks, her squeaky-innocent voice is soothing and just plain cute, something you can only really hear from a child. My ears flicker at the mention of them, the oddity of the question runs through my heads for a split second, before shrugging and kneeling down. tilting my head towards her and pointing at them. I can see the child smile gleefully, letting go of my cloak and walking up to me. She holds my ears with a surprising tenderness, thank god because my ears are also super sensitive for no apparent reason, probably a Basitin thing, massaging and feeling the tufts at the end.

"Is so fluffy, like a kitty!" The child exclaims and giggles, that actually gets me excited with my own smile on my face, there's cats here, this world is immediately better in every way. I sit cross legged instead of on my knees, less painful that way, and let the child continue to touch up my ear, she gasps and pulls away when it flickers in her hand, before giggling and returning to it. All too suddenly there's just, a group of kids around me, just touching and lightly tugging at my ears and tails, its a little uncomfortable at times, but the general excitement of 'BIG FURRY MAN' seems to have caught the attention of the street-kids, some of the adults look my way and just chuckle, a smile on their faces before returning back to their original tasks. I have to scold some of the more touchy feely kids from yanking too hard, but they're thankfully nice about it, I entertain the kids wondering about my tail by flickering it around their legs, small screams and thereafter giggling meaning I must be doing it well enough for em.

I feel like some sort of amusement park feature with how much the kids, but they're genuinely having a good time, so I don't really mind it much. My ears flicker as a noise vastly different from the sounds of children giggling catches my attention, and quickened and seemingly angry stomping coming from behind me, I hum and twist my head to face the incoming person. Said person was a very plain faced though miffed looking human male, his buzz cut hair and stony eyes along with an aggravated visage, it looks like he'd fit in a military type career honestly. The children go silent as he glares towards me, he doesn't say anything, and I just blink at him.

"..You wanna touch my ears too?" I ask him, said ears flickering. The children burst out in a fit of giggles, and even the adults that were looking over the group laugh along with them. There's a ruffling from behind me as the first girl runs up to him, wrapping her little arms around one of his legs. He leans down and ruffles the girls hair, his gruff voice piping up

"Honey, you know I don't like it when you run off.." His voice sounds like hes gargling gravel, though it's still laced with the care of a father, one that loved his kin but has trouble expressing it, I'm proud of him for attempting to go out of his comfort zone for his kid.

"But dad, hes so fluffy!" Is her reply, that and her pouting at him, foot tapping the ground. I begin to stand up, shooing the kids off of my cloak and tail, stretching and hearing my back crack as I do so. They're disappointed, but they scamper off as I begin to walk towards the man, reaching out with my hand, holding it in front of him.

"Hey! Name's Zeke, sorry if that was a bother, she did ask and I felt it wrong to say no." He eyes me for a few moments longer before he puts out his hand and clasps it in mine, his hand is calloused and rough, I match his squeezing and shake our hands in return. Apparently this was a correct move as his eyes become less stony and more passive, clearly he does appreciate a firm handshake, bless this man. His daughter pouts further and huffs, crossing her arms in a moody little girl manner.

"Cleon, sorry if my girl caused you trouble." He speaks briefly and to the point, his hand dropping from mine and on top of his daughters head, her pout turning into a smile as she leans against his leg. I wave a hand while the other brushes off the dirt from my shorts, straightening my cloak in the mean time.

"No worries at all, Cleon, I wouldn't want my kid to run off to a stranger either. Speaking of you actually, you shouldn't be running off from your dad either, he'd be worried after all." The girls reply is to stick her tongue at me and giggle mischievously, though Cleon appreciates the gesture, the edges of his lips twitching up into a brief smile. He ruffles the girls hair much to her protest, a deep chuckle coming from his chest.

"Come on, Felicity, let's let the man be on his way." Another short reply from him, the now identified Felicity follows his lead, skipping and hair bopping after him.

"Will Momma be home soon, Dad?"

"After her work, love, but she'll be home."

"Awh, okay!"

They continue to converse as they walk down the street and out of ear shot, at least without actively trying to listen in on them. its a very nice and wholesome conversation between them, my lips turn into a smile before heading back on my way to the plaza. Cleon, huh? I do hope the best for him and his family. The sun rises further, approaching mid day, I'm not quite gonna get to the Inn late, but it'll be close enough, continuing down the street, right, left, right again, and into the plaza area after only a few minutes of waltzing. I hum and look around at the buildings, I do see a singular one that's differently built at the roof, thanks height! I assume thats the Town Hall anyways, and thus I amble over to it, I've got plenty of time after all.

I reach the hall without any repercussions or surprises, and finding the Inn itself proved a little more time consuming, considering I had no actual idea what an Inn looked like, did they look like the Taverns that people made back home? Never went into any of those either, instead of trying to walk around and find it on my own, I call out to a passerby, a very plain faced young man.

"Hey! You know where the Inn is?" I question him, he seems surprised and oddly shaken up from it though, eyes darting left to right before shooting his hand to a street.

"T-t-third on the left from there, get away from me!" He shouts aloud, sounding more than a little crazed before darting off and away from me. The little outburst from him catches the attention of other passerby's, and instead of staying in the area, I follow the strange mans directions down the street. That was, very very odd, I ain't gonna be poking into that. Thankfully the mans directions was correct, the Inn itself a very simple large, two story house, wooden steps to a wooden door, the only sign that its an Inn is the attention its attracted from citizens, as well as the sign with the word "INN" emblazoned. The sign for an Inn is the sign itself, go figure, I gaze up to the sun, squinting lightly to shield myself from the light, it's close enough to mid day anyways.

I step upwards to the door, moving past the humans, stairs squeaking from the pressure, opening the door to the Inn reveals a surprisingly cosy and warm area, stools set up next to a bar, with other tables and stools splayed around the room for other patrons with stairs leading up to a second floor. Despite the outwards appearance, the Inn seems carefully maintained, no one looks towards me as I gaze over the heads, no dirty blonde hair to be seen, but plenty of brunettes that's for sure, hey that's a redhead too, nice! I step up to the bar and take a seat, the bartender turning around mid-cupwash, lackadaisically looking up towards me. Her face is deeply wrinkled and old, mildly tanned with disinterested and squinting eyes, dark brown hair tone up in a ponytail.

"Wot can I getcha?" Is her only question, a rough and elderly voice in a detached tone that matches her general enthusiasm. I rub the back of my neck as I look around for the blonde man, I am here a little early I suppose.

"Er, nothing at the moment, I'm waiting for someone, is it okay if I wait here?' I ask back, the cacophonous noise of the others in the Inn forces my ear to twitch, at least said ears would help me stand out. The bartender only shrugs and moves away from my persons, back to cleaning other cups and tending to other customers. The noise kind of hurts my skull, flattening my ears and pulling up my hood at least comforts myself and mitigates the harshness of it.

I sit on that stool for what seems like ages, claws tapping against the bench top to distract myself from the noise and huffing. I really hope Blondie gets here soon, I wanna try out the alcohol here, and I don't have the cash myself. More waiting, waiting, waiting, its not very entertaining, at least my ears are more accustomed to the Inn, though I still keep it flat regardless. There's a sound of movement next to me, and towards that is finally the Blondie shows up, planting his butt on the stool and shuffling into the bar, I flip up my hood and rest my cheek on a fist, grinning wide as I look at him. He's still wearing the same clothes from last night, an impassive and neutral face from him, brown eyes not particularly looking anywhere in detail.

"Heeeey Blondie, nice to meetcha here, didn't think you'd show up!" I say rather sarcastically, my teasing grin only increasing as I raising my eyebrows up and down. Blondie pinches his eyes together, letting out a tired groan, his other hand waving the bartender over, of whom approaches in a timely manner

"Two of the usual, Bartender, ignore the dolt" He says in a exasperated manner, the bartender responding with a small nod and walking off as I gasp, holding a hand over my chest.

"Blondie, I thought we were closer and friendlier than that!" He groans, louder this time, each hand rubbing the sides of him temples.

"You're gonna be infuriating, aren't you?"

"Nope, just Zeke! I dunno who Infuriating is, friend of yours Blondie?" Said man thuds his against the counter, a low groan emanating from his throat as the Bartender places our glasses in front of us, she scoffs a little at Blondies reaction, though I see her lips curl up a small bit. The alcohol is an, uh, very unsanitary looking yellow, with a good deal of frothy foam on the top of it, it's a large cup but not overbearingly so. I grasp the handle with a hand, it has a nice weight to it, too, and wait for Blondie to reach for his, him finally realising our drinks were here and grabbing his too.

"To me kicking your ass!" I gloat as our cups clang against each other, a sigh of frustration drowned out by the alcohol as he chugs it down. I follow suit and dunk the drink down my throat, trying to not spill it, its surprisingly less bitter than I expect, not exactly sweet but not as awful as the alcohol from home was. I continue to scull the the grog down, at least its not terrible, and I cant actually stop until I drink the last of it, planting it down with a thud and looking towards Blondie, who's taking a slower approach to his drink, planting it down with a good portion of it still remaining.

"I'm not gonna buy you another." He says in a deadpan tone after taking a single short look at my cup. I chuckle and shrug, wide grin still planted on my face.

"Awh, this date sucks, you suck Blondie." He sighs and thumps his head against the counter, I myself laugh my ass off at his reaction though, god he's so fun to mess with. A few more thumps later, he returns to his drink, nursing it with a tight caress and grip before taking another, much longer drink.

"Edward, my names Edward, now stop calling me that." He says after he puts his cup back on the bench, Edward huh? Not a bad name. I nod and tap my fingers idly, rummaging through my brain for some sort of small talk to bring up.

"So, uh, how's your leg Edward? You ain't too hurt are ya?" I ask with genuine concern, I didn't want to permanently maim him after all. He shrugs and shakes the aforementioned leg, and looking at it he doesn't seem to be in too much pain.

"Nothing more than slight pains, nothing that some magic can't soothe anyways." He doesn't seem too hung up over it at least, no harm done hopefully! I smile a more genuine one and give him a pat on his back.

"Hey, thought you'd be fine! Just better to check up is all, ya know?" He eyes my hand and with his spare one, slowly pushes it away from him, sitting up that bit straighter and taking another quick scull.

"Yeah, yeah.." He speaks softly as he looks down, gazing into the alcoholic depths of his cup before taking another mouthful down. "Naught but my pride's hurt too much."

The conversation picks up after that though, we chat about our days recently minus our little fight with each other, and I learn a bit about his background. Turns out he was born in this very village, his father once a guard himself before being made Captain, and he'd since taken after his footsteps. His father's post is no longer in the town though, having since being moved across eastwards across the human territory, posted more near a coastal area, they rarely keep in contact, but his fathers given him his best wishes to advance through the ranks. He's actually currently technical housemates with his uncle, of whom's acting Captain for the guard, the current Captain being pre-occupied with a calling towards port town. 'Across the Eastern Plains though, huh? That'd put him fairly close to the Tiger Territory then, I wonder how their relationships are with the humans' I think to myself.

"Your uncle didn't seem too happy bout the scuffle that we had, what's up with that?" I ask him as his mid swig. He pauses for a second before downing the rest of of grog, finishing it off with a satisfied 'aah' before planting it down, a small frown on his face.

"Turns out one of our 'suppliers' didn't quite appreciate it, raised hell with him and now I'm stuck here with you." He responds, grumbling and nursing his now empty cup. My lips twist as I hum, tapping my cheeks as I think, 'who could that be?'

"Was it Gerome? The old man with the strange accent?" Edward raises an eyebrow, but nods lightly, side-eyeing me instead of facing directly. I really don't think he likes non-humans, ouch.

"Aye, kicked up some dirt, doesn't help that Uncle apparently likes Keidrans, or Basitins, whatever the fuck you are." Is his blunt reply, voice laced with disdain and apathy. My ears cant flatten further, though it does hurt a little, why the pain?

"Why the hate towards Keidrans, though?" His jaw clenches while he turns a deathly silent, eyes turning steely, body tensed. He closes his eyes and takes a long, deep breathe, returning to side eyeing me

"That, is none of your business." He after a while in a forced flat tone. I frown, maybe I shouldn't I have asked that. We sit in awkward silence, the rumblings of the Inn being the only noise, Edward thinking and brooding.

"Hey luvs, did ya need anything?" The sudden question from behind me makes me jump with a small yelp and turn around, at least Edward snickers at it. The questioner being a tall lithe lady, long brown hair cascading down her head and onto her shoulders, glossy and bright in the natural light of the inn, playful crimson eyes looking between Edward and I. She's wearing a very plain and traditional dress, white blouse and a brown hide covering, both of which goes down past her knees, wearing equally plain flats. I examine this lady a little closer, squinting.

"Have I seen you around before, Ma'am?" I ask her, head tilted. The lady giggles and rolls her eyes, Edward returning to thumbing his head on the counter.

"Seems that pick up lines don't change between men, different species or otherwise~ And stop doing that Eddy, you're gonna get yourself hurt." She says in a silky smooth voice, a very teasing but caring one. I feel my face flush as I raise my hand, waving it wildly.

"W-wait a second, I don't mean it like that! You're Cleons lady, right? I saw him and the kid earlier is all, I'm no flirt!" The Lady poorly stifles her laugh, and Edward himself grins at my fluster. I only glare at him, mouthing 'Ill hit you' to him, of which only makes him laugh more. I instead just bury my face in my hands, can't bully me if you cant see it.

"Ahahah! God, you sound like a young boy, so you met my husband, huh kid? Felicity didn't give you too much trouble did she? She is a trouble maker after all." She speaks with a light tone, laughter still laced in it. I pout and stick out my tongue, I'm not a kid, damn you.

"I'm not a kid, I'm just not used to that." I retort, of course she only laughs again, I don't think the pout/frown is really helping my case. "Besides that, Felicity only really wanted to touch my ears, along with basically every other damn kid in that street. Cleon didn't seem to happy about it at first"

The Lady titters as her smile only turns more pleasant, god shes actually super cute, good catch Cleon.

"Mhm, he's a softy when you get past his rough exterior though. And Eddy, I didn't expect to see you here three days in a row, tough week darling?" She prods at Edward, that mischievous twinkle in her eye. Well, now I definitely know who Felicity takes after. Edward himself just groans once more.

"Listen, long story Lyn, my uncle isn't happy bout me so I'm making it up with Zeke here." He jabs a thumb at my direction when he mentions me, giving a small wave when she looks towards me. She only continues to smile and ruffles Edwards hair, he himself looking a little bit nonplussed but unwillingly accepting of his ruffled fate, blonde hair now extremely unkempt.

"Awh, at least you're making new friends, hm~?" She teases him, I grin and give her a thumbs up while Edward side eye glares me. The conversation picks up a bit more after that at least, the earlier awkwardness at least nullified temporarily, Lyn's a welcome addition to it, sadly she does have to leave to continue her work, we didn't need anything from the bar anyways.

Edward and I finally walk out of the, finally flipping my hood down and stretching myself, my ears poking to its maximum height, the cool wind a blessing on my fur. God bless that I'm outta there, it's needlessly bloody loud. Edward moves besides me and stiffly straightens his back, hand raised to his head in a salute. What's he doing?

"Captain!" He says as stiffly as he looks, I look forward and finally see the Captain from last night, arms crossed behind his back, and still looking as pristine as before. Oh wait, am I meant to salute? I quickly move into position, hand raised to my head and sloppily straightening up.

"Mister Captain sir!" I follow up with, a grin on my face as I hear Edward sigh an exasperated sigh. The captain raises a hand, whatever bits of his face that can be seen is a set like a stone.

"At ease. We've a job for you, Edward, and it's something the Basitin could be interested in too." His speaks in an authoritarian tone of voice, both of us dropping our salutes as I tilt my head. A job for me?

"What's it to be, sir?" Edwards face is impassive and serious, a no nonsense full work one, too.

"Reports of Keidran raids have worried some of the merchants here, our services have been paid for to protect their carriages unto the next town. Both of you will be paid for in entirety up front by them. Will you two be up to the task?" Edward salutes once more, a 'sir!" indicating that hes all for it. I shrug and nod along.

"I'd be down with it, we going today then?" The Captain nods as he returns his arms to behind his back.

"Correct, both of you will report to the town sign post haste, go get your equipment Edward, I trust that you have what you need, Basitin?" Of course, I nod and pump my arm, smiling wide. I'm finally going somewhere, damn straight!

"Captain, if I may ask, why is the Basitin coming along with us?" Edward asks in a monotone way. The Captain looks to him, as if eyeing him up, silent for a few moments longer.

"Special request from a high value merchant, nothing more. Get ready, both of you." With that, he marches away and into the plaza, cape flickering with the wind. God capes are so cool. Edward remains still for a while longer before following in the Captains footsteps into the plaza, turning around to speak.

"I'll get there soon, don't be late Zeke." Is all he says before he marches off, I assume to go get his gear. I shrug and shake my limbs, limbering up with a grin on my face. Guarding to get to another town, hm? I'm all down for that. The way to the signs through the plaza, and thus I jog towards the location, gotta get there sometime soon.

**Authors note: This chapter took a while longer to come out due to a slight burn out, putting out chapter daily kind of burned me for a bit. Reviewing or pm with questions and I'll gladly answer them, if it's about the story, characters, or other topics. This chapter also went through a bunch of rewrites because I can't write an Inn setting for shit apparently lmao.**

**Edward Keen**

**Gender: Male**

**Age: 23**

**Class: Guard**

**Species: Human**

**Languages: Human**

**Personality: A sarcastic though generally serious man, extremely proud of himself and aggressive against non humans, more oftan than not to a distainful degree. His hatered of Keidran is a personal issue, of which only close family knows, and it bleeds into Basitin due to to their visual proximity to them. Has great respect for his Uncle and Father, and wants to follow in their footsteps.**


	8. Chapter 8

The sun dips as I approach the sign, wagons nearby with two horses reined in, one spotted a white brown and the other a straight black, and connected to them, a singular merchant tending to the horses with surprising affection as they lapped at an assumed portable trough, made of wood and filled to the brim with water. The merchant turns to me as I approach, his hand running through a horses mane.

"Who you?" He asked with an aggravated rough grunt, his voice is deep and gutteral as his dark brown eyes squinting at me on his pale face, his short black hair slicked backwards. A hand zips to his hip even as the other one remains resting on the horse, both clenching.

"Woah, calm down, I'm just a contracted guard for the wagon, from the towns Captain." I explain, holding both of my hands upwards in passivity. He continues to eye me, looking from feet to ear-tips.

"Snow Keidran?" He questions again in his borderline broken English, his eyes still looking over me in a scrutinous manner. I raise an eyebrow, does he mean those Snow Wolf Keidrans? Didn't Gerome say he was from the North? Regardless, I shake my head.

"Nay, I'm a basitin, do you know Gerome by any chance?" I ask-answer the strange man in return. He nods and returns to tending to, what I assume is his, horses.

"Don't know basitin, Gerome friend." He replies shortly, speaking under his breathe to himself in something that's very not-English. 'Does that mean human has sub human languages? Why isn't it just called English then?' I think to myself, but I shrug it off and instead lean against a wagon, ignoring the suspicious glare that the man sends my way.

The sun continues its dip as the afternoon glow lights up the area, after what's probably only a few minutes but feels like hours of doing nothing, the only things of note being the Northern Mans acute attention onto the horses and wagon, I hear something or someone walking up the dirt path, ears flickering as I pay extra attention. 'Doesn't seem like heavy foot steps, someone travelling light?' I wonder to myself, I straighten up to be a little bit taller and look over the edge of the hill, a familiar greying head popping up, a smile on my face as I raise my hand and wave towards him.

"Hey, Gerome! Figured it'd be you asking for me." I call to him, his large frame coming up in full sight, the regular jolly smile plastered on his face. I meet him mid way and clasp his hand in a handshake, sharing smiles.

"Oy, of course strange Zeke! Know little other persons to want to go travelling, you be best bet!" He responds happily, though I only raise an eyebrow to him.

"You couldn't find anyone else to guard the stock, could you?" I push a little with the questioning tone, but judging from his sheepish smile and general reaction, I probably have got it on the head. I shake my head and shrug. "Well, it's not like I have anything else to do. Who's your friend over there though? He aint particularly talkative."

"Oh! You meet Vector? He close friend from North! Can't speak regular human well." Gerome replies simply, patting me on the shoulder as he approaches his friend, who finally looks up from his stock-work. The change on his face is near immediate, from a sour but neutral face to a friendly but awkward smile, which is honestly a massive change judging from his character. Gerome has his own smile too, not the overly jovial one, but a genuine friendly one, the two of them chatting away in their strange language. Guess I'm back to doing nothing again while we wait for Edward, where's the man anyways?

A clunking noise catches my attention, twisting around and seeing said man himself marching up the hill, clad in the same armour from the night we met, all nice and shiny too. His dumb helmet obscuring his face, though as he looks up I can see the lower half of his surprisingly lax face, a hand gripping two sacks whilst the other rests upon his sword hilt, thumb rubbing against the pommel. 'I wonder why he's doing that? Maybe it helps alleviate any nerves?' I wonder, one of my hands reaching around and grabbing at the back of my bag, still there, no ones touched it. Edward takes one of the sacks from his hands, swinging the other back before pelting it towards me, it almost catches me by surprise, but I manage to grab it out of the air, opening it to reveal its amazing contents.

..of which is wrapped packages, along with a small pouch, reaching inside that to feel it up reveals cold circular metals inside it, coins? I guess it makes sense to as why he took a little longer than the rest of us, must've had to put this together.

"The hell's this meant to be?" I ask Edward aloud, pulling the sack together as he continues his march past me.

"Payment, as Captain said before, as well as food for the next few days, assuming you manage the rations correctly." He replies without looking back, instead planting his own sack into one of the wagons. I look back to my sack, shrugging and pulling my bag off, stuffing that inside of it, and then following Eddy boys' example and tossing the bag into the same wagon, I probably didn't anything too important. I rub my gloved hands together, a wide smile on my face.

"Alright! Is everyone ready?" I once again ask aloud, walking up besides the rest of the group. Gerome puts on his trademarked grin and nods, his elbow lightly nudging his friend, of whom looks upwards and away from Gerome, his face stoic and unmoving, but he nods alongside him. Edward sighs a long sigh, taking off his helmet, dirty blond hair falling to the sides of his head as he pinches his eyes together.

"Fucking dammit, you're already insufferable." He responds to me in an part aggravated part annoyed tone. I wrap my arm around the poor poor man and pull him into a one armed hug, his continued grimacing and groaning only fuelling that fire to annoy him.

"Come on, we're friiiiiiiiiends aren't we? It'll like, a mini journey for us all!, hurrah to it all!" Gerome cheers along with me, dragging his subdued friend into the now group hug, Edward 'hrk!'ing in surprise as hes squished between us, his helmet smacking against the dirt with a dull thud.

"I hate you, I hate everything about this, and especially the Captain." He continues to grumble, sighing in a resigned manner towards the end.

"Come on Eddy boy, it'll be fiiiiine!" I wink towards Edward himself, sticking out my tongue soon after in a goading manner. His lips are pursed as he returns my look with a glare of his own.

"Oy Edward, will all be fine! Uncle Captain is a man of good judgement!" Gerome's broad frame ends up squishing us all together in a bone crushing hold, I myself shouting 'aye!' in agreement. Vector, I believe his name was, had a small though confused smile on his face, at least he could feel the vibrant mood, Edward continued to grumble and grimace his moody ass outta the hug though, what a kill joy. I stretch and crack my back, the merchants shortly speaking to each other before hopping onto their wagons and whipping the reins, the horses understanding the idea and moving forward, dragging the cargo along. The water trough is nowhere to be found, funnily enough, maybe Vector threw it back into a wagon? I shrug, matching the march of Edward and the horses, no where to go but forward I suppose.

The sun continues on it's downward spiral into the edge of the world, natural darkness filling the area with the only light against it being the torches that Gerome had prepared attached to the front of the wagons, lighting the way, with more lighting equipment in the back, turns out that the people around here had lanterns too, I wonder, is it it was possible to make a light bulb with what's common around here? Glass probably exists, thankfully despite the constant trekking, my legs don't feel too stressed or over worked, paws are a tad bit sore due to it though, some shoes would really help. The time during the walk was passed by mostly pointless banter, entirely on my behalf because Edward has the social capacity of a banana when doing a job, Edward himself walking by the right of Vectors wagon whilst I guard the left of Geromes.

"Hey Edward, you're pretty quiet, anything up?"

"We're marching, Zeke, stay alert."

I think I've actually managed a proper conversation with a banana, actually, sorry mister banana from some amount of years ago. At least I figured out where we were going beyond "we're going to towns".

"Where are we going? Like, to what towns?" I inquire, Gerome thankfully pops his head up, and through the glimmer of the torch I can see some sagging bags under his eyes, a tired smile planted on his face.

"Oy! Gerome can answer this, we are goings to a village, no name as far as Gerome remembers, and then we are going to the port city!" He responds to me before looking back ahead, barely stifling a yawn while he rubs at his eyes. I hum in thought, port city huh?

"I assume this is for buying and selling reasons? What's the port citys' name?" I prod further with the questions, thankfully Gerome still seems willing to chat, the silence was getting to me, granted there's always the nightlife noise but that doesn't particularly do anything in terms of talking for me.

"Da, as well as some other tradings, when we leave the next village we'll be on the way to Wreathwood, does strange Zeke remember any bout it?" He responds again, I scratch at my chin and think again, Wreathwood, Wreathwood? Wreeeeeeeeeeeeeeathwoo- nope, doesn't tingle anything.

"Can't say so, but thank you for it Gerome. How's everyone else holding up?" I call out to everyone, the marching and dullness of the trek might've gotten to someone after all.

"Gerome is, okay, tired but used to long journys." Thats Gerome there, not surprised he's used to it.

"I'm okay, marched for longer." The stiff and gruff reply on Edward, he really has a stick up his arse, jesus. The only other reply is a grunt of affirmation from the other wagon, Vector seem's okay too. We continue to march onwards in silence for ages longer, the deep pitch black of dark surrounding us, my eyes flick towards the woods as my ears twitch, is someone out there? What do they want who is it I swear I'll cut you do-

A sneeze rockets through my mouth, the force of it actually tearing up my throat just that little bit, leaving it feeling a little bit raw. out of the corner of my eye I see Gerome jump out of his seat, swinging the torch over my head, the horses stopping as he pulls in the reins. I hear the 'shing' of a sword drawn as Edward slips past the horses, his eyes covered from his generic helmet and lips a terse line.

"The fuck was that?" He asks, eyes turning to train on the woods, sword still drawn in preparation, it's surprising how agile he can be despite the clunkiness of the armour.

"I, uh, sneezed, it was pretty loud, whoops?" I say in a sorry and soft voice, shrugging and smiling awkwardly, it was genuinely accidental! Gerome at least gets a laugh out of it as Edward sighs, shoving his sword back into his sheath.

"You're actually a pain in the ass, at least there's no keidran around." And with that he walks back to his post, I laugh weakly, I swear it was an accident! Gerome whips at the reins, and I hear Vector do the same, and thus the journey continues, at least the general air feels less stiff... what was I thinking about before? The woods? I shrug, resting a hand on my hilt, I'm sure it's okay.

Walking, walking, waaaaaalking this is actually so god damn boring, Jesus Christ. I groan softly, yanking out my sword to at least have some stimulus, and I might as well check on it. The sword's still mostly unused, having drawn no blood other than Edwards makes it seem.. purer somehow, Edwards a friend now though, so it's worked out fine. I do wonder why it's shaped the way it is, it's not exceptional at the whole stabbing thing cause of how one sided its heft is, the cleaver aspect of it would really shine if I take a full swing at someone.

"Hey Gerome, who made this thing, and why's it shaped so oddly?" I ask the Northern man once again, eyes still trained on the road.

"I was wondering the same thing, actually. You tried to use that thing more like a regular sword and it was mildly awkward to watch." Oh hey, Edward actually pipes up with something, of course its to bully me, what an ass. I bend and glare at the guard through the horse legs, flipping him the bird, which he at least chuckles at.

"Was wondering when you'd ask! Anna wanted a sword for your, uh, brutish stature, and I had a friend who owed me a favour, Gerome thought you'd appreciate it more than a regular one." He explains, and looking it over once again, and at myself, I can see why Anna would think that, my shoulders are pretty broad. 'Maybe I should use it in a wilder stance next time I fight?' I wonder to myself, the flickering sheen off of it from the torches glowing light is a distracting sight, a gorgeous one that I'm thankful for. After what feels like minutes of twisting and turning it to gauge how it reflects the light, I finally put it back in its sheath and focus back on the boring ass walk, hopefully we get to that damned village soon, oh man the next walks gonna be even longer, god dammit. We come pass a clearing, of which Edward dips into sword still on his hilt, he examines the area ('can he see well under that helmet?') before nodding, waving us over.

"It's been a long march, lets rest up here. Zeke and I will keep watch for the night." He dictates simply, the merchants yank at the reins and pull the horses into the area. So we're setting up camp here huh? Well lets get in it then! I jog up Edward, giving him a lazy slaute and a sly grin.

"Ayo Boss! Where we sleeping, I'll take first watch for ya too!" He takes of his helmet, clearly showing disproval in his eyes and rubbing at his head.

"Dont. Call me boss, okay? My boss is the Captain, and hes your boss temporarily too, dont forget that. The Merchants are likely going to sleep in each wagon, it's cover we might as well use, the spare of us two are gonna sleep in whatever one has more space. Or whichever's less likely to get pissy over it, either or. As for watch, quite frankly I don't trust you for either of them, but we best get it out of the way. You'll take first watch, wake me up when the sun raises past way through the horizon, shouldn't be too hard, now don't fuck it up, I'll be sleeping very lightly." He goes full dictator mode, his voice steely and full of pride and confidence, it's probably the most this proud spirited assholes talked in the his entire life, but I'm so proud of this man. I respond to his instructions with a wide grin and a straighter salute.

"Rodger dodger, I'll be the best god damn basitin you've seen!" He rolls his eyes at my exclamation, instead walking past me and against Vectors wagon, then stopping, twisting his head around.

"Hey, Furball, why were you so confused about Wreathwood?" He asks suddenly. I raise an eye at the nickname from him, crossing my arms.

"If you must know, Blondie, I'm an amnesiac, kind of, its hard to explain but there's a lot of things that I should know that I don't, like what keidrans and basitins are, satisfied?" I respond, paw tapping against the ground. He seems, confused at that answer, but shrugs.

"Explains the oddity around you, as well as your dumb naivety." I roll my eyes and poke my tongue at him, he flicks two fingers to his eyes, then back to me, using the wagon to pull himself up, disappearing into the wagon. I shrug myself and step up onto the wagons seats, planting my rump onto of it and a hand at my hilt, sobering myself up and standing at attention. This is gonna be so god damn boring.

In short? Yeah, being the night watch is super damn boring, at least the flickering flame of a torch that Gerome oh so generously left out for me is a nicely distracting sight, the light of it reflecting off of my sword is just gorgeous and I have no idea why. 'Maybe I'm just easily distracted, is that something I've always been?' I think to myself, laying the sword across my lap, rubbing at my eyes with a hand. I'm not tired, far from it actually, I feel so full of energy for something, there's just nothing to do. I gaze out into the woods, the only company around would be the frogs and crickets and other nocturnal wild life, faint 'hooing' from an owl.

'Aren't owls super freaky? Was it them who had 360 degree rotational heads and the whole seeing their eyes through their ears? Or was the ears one crows? Does crows have ears?' I shake my head and dump the random thoughts out of my skull, I might not be tired but a bored mind wanders. A chill runs up my spine as my ears twitch, I straighten myself and plant the torch onto the cart, leaping off of it with sword drawn and looking around the field, eyes squinting as I become quickly accustomed to the dark, I wish I had something to toss, the fields covered in grass and dirt with little else, not even a rock. I look towards the rising sun, I'll wake Edward in an hour or so, and return my focus on the field, there's something in the woods, I feel my blood race around, the noise of my racing heartbeat smothers my ears while my hands shake and jitter, whoisitwhosouttherewhatdotheywant.

A stick snaps to my left, twisting around and gripping my hands on sword, pelt my sword towards the source, sideways swinging and singing through the air, digging deep into the trunk of a tree with a solid 'thunk', a loud long grunting noise from the general area, a fucking deer blitzing away from the situation. I stand still for a few moments, breathing heavily and shakily before collapsing onto my knees, trying my best to still my rapidly beating heart, vision blurry as I look down to my shaking hands, sticking them underneath my armpits and resting. 'Breathe in Zeke, one, two, three, it was just a deer, nothing at all'. I unsteadily return to my feet, still taking in sharp breaths and staggering over to the wagon, leaning on it for support.

'The fuck was that? Why is everything so jittery and messy? What's going on? Am I paranoid or was Zeke the paranoid one?' My minds a jumbled mess, I groan and smother my face with my hands, blinking away sleep and confusion. 'Steady yourself' I mentally command, taking in another breathe, I gotta get my sword, punching isn't helpful. Tottering over to the tree, taking my time and looking around, getting jumped here would be awful, I examine it closely. The swords dug into it a good bit deep, less than half of the blade jutting out, I guess the nervous energy from before helped with it. I sigh a deep sigh before gripping the blade, tugging it a few times only made it slightly loose, so I keep at it, and with a final grunt I yank the rest out, falling on my ass for my troubles. I drag myself and the sword over to the wagon, using the torch light to look over its edge, I still can't see any knicks or blemishes other than the wipeable mess on it, wiping it off doesn't exactly leave it shiny clean, but its better than nothing. I look over towards the sun, the little episode clearing up enough time and draining myself enough to make me want to sleep, the sun more than entirely peaking out of the horizon.

I drag myself off of the wagon seat and towards the back, pulling myself up into the entrance of it, the wagons an organised mess of stock and produce, Edward snoring away still in most of his armour near a barrel of something, water I assume, and his helmet planted on top of it, a softer snooze in the back being Vector most likely. I waltz over and nudge at his legs with a paw, I'd love to kick him awake but kicking full plated armour would just hurt me. Edwards snoring shortens out as he awakens, head shaking before standing at full attention, stretching and cracking his back and arms, 'Wonder if hes sore from sleeping in armour, can't be too comfortable'.

"Anything to report, Zeke?" He questions as he plops his helmet on his head, lightly tapping at it. I shrug and yawn, rubbing at my eyes.

"Nothing but wild life, tap me awake when the merchants get up." I reply shortly, brushing past him and flopping onto his spot, I'll use your warmth for something Eddy boy. He walks over to the exit and drops out of the wagon, his armour clanging as he reaches the ground. I pull my hood over my head and sink further onto the barrel, my body's gonna kill me for sleeping with chain mail on, but I squeeze my eyes shut and try to force myself to sleep regardless, I think that'd do some good at least.

**Authors note: I've decided to post chapters weekly at least, possibly more depending, but it's a bare minimum. Nothing much about this chapter other than taking a few days to complete. Zeke's not too comfortable in his body, his anxiousness really wouldn't be helping :)**


	9. Chapter 9

My eyelids fling themselves open, body jolting awake and launching myself onto my feet, wincing as I look around the wagon, I really shouldn't have slept in that position. The wagon's silent other than the soft breaths of another sleeping, likely Vector. I groan out an exhale as I stretch out the kinks in my back, the bones cracking loudly as I do so, thankfully Vectors breathing doesn't change, probably didn't notice it then. I yawn and rub at my eyes, rubbing away the sleep culminated during my short slumber, hauling myself out of the wagon and landing on the dry ground, a small puff of dirt kicking up, still smothering my eyes with my hands. 'Jesus Christ that was a poor sleep, how long was that?' I think to myself, mumbling non-descript words under my breath as I walk to the front, vision still a blur, blinking away removing a fair of it of it at least. I hear heavy footsteps pacing around the wagon before I see him move into vision, Edward still in his full armour getup, helmet and all too, hand at his hilt and on alert, though his normally stoic stance doesn't cover the warp of a slight surprise in his body language.

"Zeke? I didn't think you'd be up so soon." He says it in a professional monotone manner, but I can hear the underlying question underneath. I moan out a mumble of words, smothering my face in my hands again, I can hear the bastard snicker.

"I din sleep well, bite me." My words come out both bitterly and groggily, much to my surprise, the sleep wasn't that bad was it? I brush past Edward and choose to plant my face onto a particularly clumped looking batch of grass, morning dew hanging onto the blades of such greenery brushing over my fur as I hear a very confused noise from behind me. "Dis comfier"

I can hear his boots crumple and disturb the grass around me as he steps to my side, the smell and sight of the grass filling my sight and senses, theres a soft unstrapping noise as I feel something poke into my side, a cold but somewhat soft feeling jabbing between my ribs, I mumble out a muffled groan as the assholes scabbard digs against me.

"Much as I like the lack of garbage you normally spew, can't say it's particularly like you." He says, voice lined with amusement.

"Either help me wake me up or let me sleep, asswipe." I murmur into the dirt, an amused scoff is his response. At least he stops jabbing my side, though the feeling of getting stabbed is replaced by the noise of heavy objects hitting the dirt, twisting my head reveals Edward stripping himself of his armour, helmet to torso to leggings. I raise an eyebrow, the hell's he doing?

"Get up, we're gonna do hand to hand sparring, either you're gonna be very awake or you're gonna be back to sleep, Fuzz." He says in an oddly good humoured tone, though the hair at the back of my neck bristles at the nickname. 'Does he see sparring as a bonding experience, maybe?' I think to myself, but I reluctantly heave myself up, groaning all the while, I unlatch my cloak and throw it unto the grass, along with my chain mail and sheath belt, I stretch my arms and crack my hands through the gloves, the bones under it cracking with a delicious noise and turning to face Edward.

"Gloves on or off?" Is my only question to him as he discards the last of his armour, kicking his boots away. A quick look at his hands shows a thin layered glove, I assume to be worn underneath his gauntlet being held up in a preparation stance is my answer. I follow suit and hold up my hands in a boxing stance, right hand in front and legs spread to my shoulders, knees bending as I relax my lower body, bobbing slightly with energy. My visions still cloudy, but I can see Edwards eyes examining my body, his own relaxed and prepared. He's still and silent for a few seconds before his body tenses and rushes forward.

His right hand goes for a jab, swinging my shoulder into him to catch the blow, reaching for my own swing at his jaw, my hips twisting for extra force, a knuckle barely clipping his chin as he steps backwards. He throws another jab into my side, a solid hit connecting as I return it with a body check of my own. He stumbles backwards as I advance forward, a left then right punch into his gut before moving backwards, out of the way of a swing, feeling the wind of it brush past my nose, he continues to push forward with a foot planted into my stomach. The wind's pushed out of my lungs at the impact as I stumble backwards myself, raising my arms to catch another swing sent head way, slipping into his comfort zone as I deliver a short punch into his chest. I swing around him and grab him in a bear hug, lifting him up and heaving backwards, the plan was to pull him so far backwards and drop him on his head, the plan also completely fell apart immediately as I felt my paw slip on the dirt beneath us, falling backwards and dropping Edwards limp body on my chest.

"FFFFFFF-" I breathlessly scream, the air clearing out of my chest as pain throbs throughout it, Edward rolling off of my body thankfully as I lay still, panting and coughing, the pain already dulling moderately. Edwards laying next to me, a loud boisterous and wheezing laugh barely muffled by his hands.

"What the fuck was that Zeke?" He barely chokes out amid the laughter, swiftly turning back into a laughing mess, I hope he chokes on his spit.

"It was an attempt, I actually hope you choke you bastard." I grumble aloud, speaking my thoughts. This only really made him laugh louder sadly, I blink away the blurriness in my vision finally, though, and I do feel more awake, so mission accomplished I guess?

I continue to lay on the dirt and look up to the early morning sky, pink tinged clouds scattered across it here and there. It's surprisingly and thankfully peaceful, even with the racket of Edwards voice. He quietens down though, laugh trailing off as he silently joins me in relishing the silence and peace.

"My chest hurts and I blame you for being fat." I break the silence abruptly as I leap to my feet, Edward sighing as I do so, I can almost hear the dude pinching his eyes together.

"And thus the peace is broken." He says flatly, I give him a smug grin and hold out a hand to him. He eyes it for a few moments, as if cautious, before reaching up and grabbing it. My grin turns into a smile as I hoist him up, bringing him to his feet, I can see a small and brief smile pass by his face before it turns to its neutral pursed lips. 'Huh, I guess he enjoyed sparring,' I think to myself, patting him on his shoulder before turning and picking up my gear. Chain mail on, cloak on, strapping the belt on finally makes me feel vastly less naked, Edward jingling behind me as he straps on his guard armour.

A cheerful laugh bellows from the wagon seats, twisting my head to the noise, Gerome clapping as if reaching the end of a play with his trademarked grin on his face.

"Oy, what an enjoyable fight! Good to be seeing bonding between two friends, da?" Out of the corner of my eye I see Edward shake his head, rolling his eyes, though I respond with to him with a wave.

"Hey there Gerome! Enjoy the view?" His reply is a chortling laugh, his smile only widening and directed at me. I follow Edwards suit and roll my eyes back at him, probably thought me getting squashed was hysterical. The feel of a gloved hand wrapping around my shoulder surprises me, jolting slightly and twisting my head, Edwards face a gentle one with a small smile before turning back to its default emotionless stoic face, I saw that smile though! I give him a grin of my own and a friendly elbow nudge in return.

The rest of the morning goes by without incident, filled with naught but idle discussion, Vector eventually dragging himself out of the deep depths of sleep and into the living world, though he doesn't speak much, choosing to keep to himself while occasionally muttering to Gerome. I've since pulled my bag out of the wagon and taken a seat leaning against a wheel, munching down on some rations, turns out that the beef jerky looking food is beef jerky, go figure. It's gummy and almost leathery as I bite down on it, tasting and smelling like dried up meat, it's not inedible enough to not want to swallow it down but god I wish I had different meat, that requires actually requires finding a vendor, and using money. My ears flick up as the word 'money' pops into my mind, I actually have money now, don't I? Stuffing the rest of the jerky down my mouth, I reach down into my bag and ruffle through it, yanking the sack out of the bag and plopping it next to me, taking the time to double check the bag, rations are still there as is the journal, so nothing's out of place. I pull open the sack and go through it, the clinking of coins reaching my ears as my fingers run through them, gripping them and beginning to count them in a hand.

The counting didn't last long, the end result being three gold pieces and twenty silver ones, I look them again, squinting in faux examination before dropping them back in the sack, holding both in either hand. I have absolutely no idea what the value of what gold and silver is, is this a lot for people here? Am I being scammed out of cash, er, coins? 'Oh my god I have no idea what the economy is here, god dammit.' I think to myself, rubbing the sides of my skull, a brilliant idea flashing in my mind. I quickly move around the wagon, head twisting and turning, ears picking up as I find my favourite little guard.

"Hey, Edward! How much is money around here?" I question aloud, Edward turning around to look around to me, though his face is covered by his helmet I can still imagine the puzzled look on his face, I hold up my sack and explain further. "Like, is this a lot of ca-coins?"

He's silent for a few moments, as if he's processing the question, his lips curling down into a frown.

"I, what? Zeke do you have any idea on how money works here?" He finally responds to the question, his voice turning almost shrill towards the end as the general tone of confusion swallows the entirety of his response. I shrug at him, an awkward smile on my face while he groans once more, pinching his eyes under his helmet. "By the Gods I'm gonna have to teach you about money like a damned child."

After what feels like hours pass, because money and economy is so god damn boring, I don't have a terrible sense on the worldly economy, silver coins behaving similar enough to a dollar from home, with gold coins being the rough equivalent of a one hundred dollar note, kind of? I'm not great with maths and I stopped paying attention for a little because numbers, but I probably got enough of to not get screwed over. I'm more or less packed up and ready to go, bag thrown into the wagon and wide awake, leaning against the suns half way to mid day, so we hopefully got plenty of time to make it to the village, the merchants relaxing on a wagons seat idly chatting bout, something, there's no way I can actually figure out what they're talking about, though I can at least catch some reoccurring words, no idea what a 'moheta' is but I've heard it a fair bit. Edward continues to stand vigilant and guard the area, patrolling near the tree line, I personally think he should use the time to rest or catch up on sleep, he deserves it, or maybe the sparring woke him up too? Something catches his attention, his hand gripping on his hilt as he moves to a tree, his body covering whatever hes examining from my angle, silent for a few moments before turning around.

"Hey Zeke! Come here for a sec." He calls out to me, his grip on his sword softening slightly as I approach, poking my head over his shoulder. The tree he examining being the one I, uh, accidentally abused when standing watch, I feel myself chill slightly, uh oh.

"What we looking at? The tree cut?" I ask, Edward nodding a he digs a thumb into the cut, ripping and tearing some of the bark away and moving closer, humming quietly as he looks over it with an investigative eye.

"Seems recent, deep cut, did you see this when you were standing watch?" I hum in faux thought, trying my best to hold back the nervous cough building up in my throat as I cross my arms, covering my mouth to hide terse lips.

"Mn, don't think I did, whoever done this seems to have run off though, don't ya think? We haven't seen anyone else around here, nor has Gerome or Vector." I counter, levelling my voice as best as I could to try to prevent any inflections, I can't give myself away. He continues to hum to himself, helmet covering his face and masking his reaction. After a few moments pass, he stands up and brushes his hands over his leggings.

"Perhaps you're right, best keep an eye out though, just in case. We'll march soon enough." I internally fist pump, score one for me! He brushes past and towards the wagon, quickly approaching the merchants and given Geromes nodding, probably telling them the same thing. I turn my head back to the tree, giving it a small pat before backing away from it, does trees heal? Certainly hope this one does. A shiver goes down my spine as I look up to the smothering canopy, hands clenching before turning and heading back towards the group. I swear, there's something in the trees.

The travelling towards the village is a monotonous chore of marching, thankfully it's mixed with cheerful chatting and ribbing, definitely breaks the boredom of it at least. The sun continues its ascension into the sky, nearby flowers blooming with the birds chirping. It's a serene experience, something that I'd imagine out of a fairy tale novel, or fantasy, it's calming or relaxing, and surprisingly enough I haven't grown tired of it just yet, sighing happily as I close my eyes, the wind brushing over my face. According to Edward, the next village will be coming up soon, and it's a good deal bigger than the one I'm used to. That reminds me, no ones actually told me what it's called, which is odd to say the least, not a single mention of its name from anyone, I suppose it'll come up later though.

There's a strange niggling ache in the back of my skull, as if I'm forgetting something, is it just needless worrying or a gut feeling? 'Not much to do about it,' I think to myself, trying my best to shrug it off. I have friends around me, Gerome mostly, but the others would help with whatever else would come up, right? Anna would probably kick Geromes ass if he didn't, so that's a saving grace at the very least... I really hope she's okay, can she take care of herself if someone goes after her? Maybe I should visit her when this job's done.

"Oy Zeke, you paying attention?" Geromes voice knocks me out of my thoughts, shaking my head and looking up to him with a 'hng?', the sun masking his reaction, were we walking for that long? I squint my eyes to shield it from the glare and refocus my mind, smiling sheepishly and scratching the back of my head

"Uh, sorry, what's going on?" I reply to him, a chuckle being my more immediate reply as I hear a soft sigh from the other side of the wagon.

"Zeke, we're in the middle of a job, a very important one too, please be more attentive when on guard." I hear Edward pipe up in a scolding tone, my ears flattening as I huff. He might got a point, but still. "We're coming up on the town, these two aren't going to stay here for trading for too long according to Captain, but its a necessary stop."

I nod, a mostly useless reaction due to the whole wagon obscuring our view of each other, so I follow it up with a quick affirmative grunt so he can at least hear me understand him. The forest peters soon after, replaced with long stretches of open fields, up ahead from dirt roads wooden houses stand tall and proud, even from here I can see rows and rows of flowers surrounding the area around them, a friendly and welcoming sight. Moving closer I can see a sign, of the same make as the one from Annas' town, equally as unkempt and rotten, thought I can at least make out the word 'Bex' before it's snuffed out. 'Bex, Bexton? Bexley? At least I have a name for this village.' I think to myself as we stroll into the town, passing vendors of mixed fruits and different meats, thankfully separated from each other. My nose crinkles as a particularly awful scent invades my nose, an almost burning sensation filling my senses as my ears flattens again, I cover my nose as best as I can and throw over my hood, doing so at least seems to circumvent whatever's ruining my nose at least mildly, though I keep a firm hold over my nose nonetheless. We continue to move deeper into the village, no interruptions from what I notice, though my hood does obscure any side eyeing humans that could be sneaking a peak. Further and further we go, the houses blurring together in a mish-mash of brown and white, the stench helpfully dissipating as we move away from its source, throwing off my hood again to take in the surrounding area.

There before us stands a tall building, wooden as is the rest of the town from what I've seen, angular roof with multiple stained glass windows occupying the upper row of them, atop the highest part of a roof stands a large brass bell, vendors still clutter around the building itself which seems to be selling trinkets and books, the merchants covered with thin robes. A church, maybe? Or a town hall, maybe both?

"Alright Zeke, the two here are going to set up shop for a the next day and a half, afterwards we'll be onto Wreathwood, don't get into too much trouble." Edward speaks up from behind me, jumping slightly in surprise. Did I not hear him, too engrossed in observation? Nonetheless I turn around and give him a mock salute and tilted head.

"Aw, come on Eddy, when do I ever stir up anything?" He crosses his arms and continues to look at me, head and helmet tilting forward slightly. I roll my eyes, killjoy. "Alright alright, I'll do my best."

The merchants set up shop near the town hall church, thing, an elder man coming out to greet them, a polite smile on his face, shiny bald head but with a face full of stark white bearded hair reaching down just below his chest. Gerome responds to his greeting with his regular grin and clasping his oncoming hand with his own, an almost rough handshake leaving the old man looking a little worn, Vector being a little more reserved simply gives a small nod to them. Their horses are taken away by guards, to stables I'd imagine, as they walk into the building, spare guards watching over the wagons in return. I scratch my head and continue to look around, Edwards already marched off somewhere, I can see him turn a corner, what the hell am I meant to do here?

I shrug and instead choose to walk down a random street, though the area around the church is bare of people other than the scant merchants scattered around it (maybe those trinkets that's there are enchanted through a divination to a god? Is that a thing here, or a scam), the same does not mean the same around the streets, various other citizens darting around doing jobs for others, or just chatting, or just walking around with their children, there's a lot more humans around than Annas' village, that's for sure, even in this singular street. I hear whispering as I continue to walk down the street, ear twitching as I look out the side of my eyes to catch them. Woman pull their children away, 'what's that, mommy?', their questions unanswered from their mothers as they pull them inside, the other men around either side eyeing my or openingly glaring in my direction. The hair on the back of my neck stand up at the open distrust, choosing instead to simply walk down the street faster, I guess they don't like non humans either, and I don't think I can kick them around like I did to Edward. I take a right, thankfully I feel the pressure of glaring and staring lay off of my skull as I move away from them, instead that pressure is replaced with that god awful stench, I feel my nose crinkle again as I grimace. I swear to fuck I'll find out what's making that smell and I'll break it if I have to.

I feel like I have to fight against my own body as I stride towards the source, each step towards it only making the thrum of pain in my nose worsen, I resign myself to breathing in and out of my mouth instead, thankfully circumventing at least part of the pain. I walk and walk and walk, the road a straight line, at the very end there's a group of humans, along with their own wagons. Squinting to try to see what else is happening is fruitless, and so I continue to walk forwards, at least the pressure in my skull is lifting.

I finally reach the group of humans, none too much paying attention to my entrance, instead focusing on whatever's being presented, their chattering masking whatever's being shown, or sold. I look over them, at least the crowd is short enough, though I can't hear the presenters I can at least get a better look at them. The two of them are dressed in a similar enough garb, brown robes that hang loosely on their bodies, underneath that robe, dirty white shirts cling to them with varying degrees of tattering, at least the one slightly taller one on the right seems to have theirs mostly holding together, the other being torn near to shreds. Their faces are masked by their hoods, though their disgusting grins are still visible, curled up in a malicious manner. Their wagons aren't exactly wagons, not all of them at least, at least three of them being more box shaped than the others, a thin sheet covering it, the roar in my gut mixes with the chill tingle going down my spine, teeth gritting as I hold the hilt of my sword even tighter, a failure of an attempt to sooth and centre myself. I've a terrible feeling about this.

Despite the urge to do so, I continue to watch in a sense of morbid curiosity despite the screeching of danger coming from my body, the throbbing in my skull reappearing despite the neglect to smell the air. The duo continues to talk, their words not properly reaching my ears whether from the continued roaring of the crowd or through something else, the cheers of the humans around me only increasing in volume. Finally the taller of the two turns around and tugs at the rope, the covering of the boxed containers falling away to reveal their contents as the crowd cheers, multiples of them reaching up with sacks of what I assume to be coin. The box 'containers' sure are containers, a jail for the beings in there, covered with ragged scraps of cloth, torn from miss-use and a lack of care, they all look afraid or dead inside, keidran from various species, wolves, foxes, dogs and larger looking cats are smothered together, bound by chains to their feet and body connected to the floor. Their cells are un-maintained, straw and other stains splattered across the bars, walls and floor. Woman, men, children are treated with the same maliciousness as a cruel master to its dog, their eyes sharing a similar pain with the children themselves huddled against whoever's closer, eyes brimming with tears at the cheer of the disgusting crowd around me, the bile rises up in my throat as I feel my senses focus on them, a dog keidran being dragged from one of the cells to the stand that the merchants are on, a whip bringing him to his knees, though he doesn't react to it, a dead face looking downwards like a damaged dog. Is that what the smell was then? Unkempt slaves abused and treated like trash, they're sentient you fucking bastards! A barely containable rage runs through my veins, my teeth clenches further into the point of a snarl forming on my face, hands shaking, should I draw on them? **These disgusting animals don't deserve anything more than to be treated like the keidran they abuse, they deserve nothing less, just one swing and I will set them fre- **

"Excuse me, may I ask something of you?" A voice knocks me out of my thoughts, though I still feel myself brimming with fury which should be used on them as I turn to face whoever spoke. The speaker himself being a tall albeit lanky man, his mere presence emanating a hoity-toity almost 'holier than thou' sense from him, clad in a well made but simple purple robe reaching from neck to feet, his face a perfectly punchable smug looking one, how one manages to be baby faced while having a receding hairline is beyond me, but that along with his dull green eyes puts together a perfectly awful figure of a man. I continue to look at the man, my reply being an acknowledgement of him, I'm trusting my own tongue to speak, though his should be removed.

"God, you don't seem too brainless. Where is your Master? I wish to discuss a potential purchase." He smiles smugly, truly befitting of a disgusting human being as him. I blink, what, oh my god wait does he think I'm a fucking slave. I continue to say nothing, though my eyes narrow as I look down to him, grip ever tightening on my hilt. His condescending face falls flat, grin turning to a frown.

"Anything in there? Or are you a mute? Not sure on whether or not that'd increase the price." He mutters to himself towards the end, humming to himself as his eyes turn in thought, I can imagine ping pong balls knocking side from side in that head of his. With shaky hands and a shuttering breath, my hand latches to his throat and squeeze it tightly, dragging it upwards as I lean down to his height, the audience none the wiser due to their disgusting attachment to the devilry in front of them, the rich bastard splutters, any words that he could spout from his throat I would make very painful.

"I am not for sale, I am no ones master but my own, and if I ever see you approaching me again, I will personally remove you from this realm and shorten your disgusting and puny life. If you raise hell with the gaurds, that'll only make your judgement come as quickly as it by earthly should, though karma is never quick enough to act, do you understand?" My voice is a cold fury, barely keeping in rage from beating the shrivelling man to the dirt he ought to be buried on, the grip on his neck only tightens, the noises from him being a spluttering and incohesive mess, but he manages to nod lightly, I can see the fear running through his eyes, darting left to right. I hold the maggot there for a few moments longer before finally dropping him to the ground, hands covering his throat as he continues to cough and splutter, breathing in deep gasps of air. I look around, the debauchery and disgusting practise of slavery seems to capture the rabbles attention far more than it ought to, but it works to my advantage here, there's no guards either, odd considering the spectacle here, and I instead walk past the groveling little man, taking a small bit of pleasure in his fear as my own smug grin brushes over my face, turning my waltz into a quick job to get out of the scene as fast as possible.

The glee of it all fades quickly as I pelt myself down the street, turning second to the right into another thankfully clear street, no citizens prowling around, probably at the slave drivers auction likely. The bile in my stomach returns with a vengeance, unable to resist it, I succumb to its demands, bowing over and emptying the non existent contents into the dirt, tears stinging my eyes as my mind races. Holy Jesus, they, were they alive? Mentally, they all looked so dead inside, as if the light behind their eyes were switched off, did they have collars? I didn't see many on them, maybe they were just broken? Oh god there were kids there, they're just kids, they don't deserve to be treated like farm animals. I remember the fear and tears in their eyes as I breathe in a heaving sob, tears running off of my cheek and onto the ground, can I go back to them? I might be able to save one, but there's that noble bastard there too, he'd ring the guards on my ass and I'd be done for, oh god I wanted to tear him apart, that's not me is it? I don't remember being like this, who am I?

..Zeke, you're Zeke, at least now anyways, but now is what's important, calm down and breathe, I can't save them all, even though the heart inside me wants to rage and run them down, I can't put anyone else in danger, too. I raise onto shaky feet, stumbling up the road, I'll just rest in a wagon, or ask for an Inn, I can't be out with people any more, or at least for the next while, I hope I'm not bit in the ass for it. I wipe the tears away and continue the slow walk, with a heavy heart. I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, I can only hope they're given good lives, better than what the cells are. The wishes inside feel so, hollow, but they're all I have for them just yet, but I'll free them, someday, I'll tear them down

**Authors note: I did take a few days with this chapter, and I'd like to think it came out well, though I'd love for people to leave some reviews, or PMs about it cause I'd always love to improve. God the part with the smug dude actually had to go over a massive rewrite because I realised just as I finished it that what I described didn't exactly fit the T rating, which I might boost up to M later depending on where the story goes, because I do wanna keep a T rating, but even that didn't fit an M rating with how almost needlessly graphic it was. Anyhow, I hope everyone enjoys that, have a good day. **


	10. Chapter 10

I don't pay much attention to where I'm going nor the time, only that I'm moving myself away from the scene of slavery, hood thrown over my head to block out the sun, lowering far too quickly for my tastes, my heads a swirl of thoughts as my skull's racked with pain. Just keep moving Zeke, get away from it, my stomach's a similar swirl of revulsion, though at least I don't feel the need to upchuck what's left of it.

'What the fuck was that? I don't like slavery, or that prick of a man who thought I was a keidran, but does that warrant such abuse to him? Maybe he grew up like that and doesn't know about what they're like, does that make him a bad man or just an uninformed one? And what about me, am I a bad man for attacking him? He didn't directly insult me knowingly, nor harm me, oh god am I a criminal now, I just assaulted him.' I look down to my hands, specifically the one that latched to his throat after my thoughts, they're still shaking horribly in a mix of rage and nervousness, clasping them together does little to still the tremors, nor does the attempt of steadying my breath, instead they come out shakily and hitched. I feel so small, and as if I can't directly control myself, an out of body experience as I continue to slog myself into any direction, dipping into an alley way between two houses, planting my butt onto the dirt and curling up, knees to my chest as my teeth chatters, tears pricking at my eyes.

'Why am I being like this? I'm no child that's new to the world, I'm an adult dammit, so why do I feel so out of control? There's no black or white shenanigans in this world either, nothing's ever that simple, is it, at least with the actions of a man, I'm sure at least one of those fuckers would've been kind to them, they don't deserve to be there at all, but slavery's a law of this land, wrong as it is. Where's that fucking bravado gone Zeke? You should know better, is it because we should've handled it better, or because we want to be some hero, a paragon of good for some needless reason? We're not meant to be that, not even here, this might be a fantastical magical land but you're still human.' Despite trying to talk myself down, my body shudders and thrills itself in the encroaching cold covering my body, wrapping myself in my cloak, my breaths are still warm enough at least, so I cover my mouth with it, trying to get something warm at least. It feels like I huddle in that alley for hours and hours on end, shivering in the sudden chill, but I finally feel capable of pushing myself onto my feet, stumbling out of that alley way, nearly bowling over a passerby as I trip myself into the sunlight.

"S-sorry.." I say weakly, not stopping to turn back to them even as they call out indignantly, shaking my head and looking upwards, the church was pretty big, wasn't it? I can probably see it from somewhere, I'll make my way there and ask for directions to the Inn and beat myself into passing out for the night, that sounds okay, doesn't it? It takes a while to find it, although the houses seem to loom over me, I can see the churches bell after twisting and turning, and with faux renewed vigour for an objective of some kind, I move towards the Church with hood flipped over my head, hopefully no one pays attention.

It feels as if it takes far too long to get to that church, but I manage to make it there eventually, Geromes and Vectors wagons are still in place, with cargo moving in and out with the help of guardsmen, their armour oddly more ornate than the regular kind, though with the same professionalism as the rest. 'The priests personal guard, maybe?' I wonder to myself, though I shake the thought off, I can't be thinking too much, not for now at least, there's time for that later. I look towards the sunset, the warm afternoon glow from it is at least comforting somewhat, did I lose track of time that much? At least getting an Inn room wouldn't look too out of place. I take a deep sigh to prepare myself before walking towards a guard, beneath their helmet I can see their eyes look towards me, the grip on their spear pinching slightly.

"Excuse me, Sir, do you know where a merchant named Gerome would be? Or at least, an Inn?" I question him, I'm at least trying to speak in a polite manner. He continues to eye me with a careful glare, before nodding towards the Church itself.

"Inside." Is his cold and blunt reply, before looking forwards once more and ignoring my presence. Professional indeed, nonetheless I thank him for his help and walk past him, opening the grandiose looking doors and into Church. Oh god this church looks gorgeous, I feel my mouth drop as I openingly gape at the sight, everything has this lustrous look in it, gorgeously shiny and appealing. Wooden chairs stand row to row on a checkered floor, at the very end of the church stands a counter top, and behind that counter top is a large grand.. Piano? Is that a piano? It has pipes on it, so it might be a pipe organ, the name doesn't come to mind immediately. The stained glass windows from above converts the light that enters in a colourful glow, god the stained windows look amazing. Something niggling tingles in the back of my mind as I take in the sight, an odd warmth filling my chest as I walk forward, the chilly floor on my paws is soothing within itself. The warmth in my chest turns somewhat colder though, marred by a melancholic feeling as I continue to walk, have I been here before? Maybe I went to church a lot previously, maybe a churchgoer? Up ahead I see Gerome and the old priest chatting away, Vector taking a seat on the wooden chairs silently. Gerome seems to hear me coming despite the silence of my steps, looking towards me and waving, his inviting smile still staining his face.

"Oy, strange Zeke! We were just chattings about you." I smile and give them a small wave while continuing to make my way to them, at least Gerome acts inviting, if its not genuine its at least a well made lie. The priest remains silent, though he gives me his own smile, a small and soft warm, but very like a man of the cloth.

"Oh? All good things I'd hope." I shoot back, getting a laugh out of Gerome did lighten my mood, no reactions from Vector, though the smile on the Priest at least widened slightly. I finally stand in front of them, I don't know the appropriate way to greet a priest, so I clasp my hands together and bow slightly in front of him. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, man of the cloth."

He chuckles softly and clasps his own hands together, copying the same greeting as mine. I mentally arm pump, either he's just being polite or I bloody nailed the greeting, I'm gonna go with the second.

"As is I to meet you, Son, it's odd to see a basitin here, but all is welcome under this roof." His voice is soft spoken and lined with age, a warm voice that's calming. He finishes his bowing and looks upwards to me, his eyes are a cloudy blue-grey colour, his face is old, wrinkles lining almost every inch of it. "My name is Father Levi, Gerome here has spoke highly of you."

I chuckle awkwardly as I scratch the back of my neck, partly due to being complimented, it feels strange, but the deeper parts of my mind flashes back to the sight of that man crumpled on the ground, the thrill and the thoughts during and afterwards would definitely not be coming from a man that'd be highly thought of.

"Zeke is a little scatterbrained, but he be a well meaning friend, especially for Anna!" Gerome continues to speak up, my thoughts moving to Anna herself, I wonder if she's doing okay? Gods, I do worry about her. Levi chuckles once more, a more sly smile planting itself on his face, it looks... very out of place to say the least from such an old man.

"Ah, Lady Anna remains well, I assume then? Masks know you'd be very upset if something were to happen to her, Gerome." He says in the same tone as before, but Gerome smiles awkwardly, coughing into his hand. Masks? Are those the gods here?

"Oy, Father Levi, she is only good friend and nothings more." Father Levi looks rather smug at his reply, its somewhat off putting, before he turns to me.

"And what of you, Son? What brings you here?" He asks simply and cooly. I hum for a second, what was I doing here again? Oh yeah! I click my fingers together.

"Oh! Sorry, I was just looking for someone to ask where an Inn is, it's getting late after all." I reply to him. Father Levi looks pensive for a moment, humming in thought.

"A guard of mine will escort you there, though I believe Gerome was about to leave, too. Would you all wish to go together?" He offers, I'd personally be all for it, but Gerome waves him off.

"Afraid not, Vector and I have other places to be, da? We will be catching up later though." Vector seems to actually be paying attention to Gerome, as takes that cue to stand up, silently turning away and hastily moving out of the Church. I raise an eyebrow towards Gerome, who just shrugs. "Is not liking the Church."

I shrug myself as Gerome follows after Vector, shouting in his foreign language which carries itself through the hall of the Church, and I hum to myself. 'I wonder why Vec doesn't like the church, bad memories maybe?' I think to myself, at least he'd have a reason for his reaction. I feel a hand grip my shoulder, yelping and jumping away, how did the old man manage to sneak up on me like that?

"You seem troubled, Son." He speaks plainly, though I can hear the underlying concern, or curiosity. I don't look him in the eyes, instead looking towards the stained glass windows, wrapping myself in my cloak. It takes a moment to muster the courage to look towards him, giving him a shining smile before waving my hand.

"Me? I'm quite fine, but I thank you for the concern Father Levi. So, just talk to one of your guards bout taking me to the Inn right?" I reply casually, trying to wave off his concerns. His cloudy eyes seem to be focused on my own as he continues to look into me, I can't look him in the eyes.

"Son, I've been alive for far too long, I've seen many a man, woman and child, each would bare their wrongdoings in their own ways, and show it in their own ways too." He gives me a sad smile, stepping forward and resting a hand on my shoulder. "And no Man is free of it, there is no shame to indulge in a confession to alleviate your burdens."

I look away from him, lips pursed tensely, bringing my hands up to my face and smothering it, a groan escaping my lips.

"Okay, I did something awful to someone and I'm terribly worried of the repercussions, that's my damned confession." I blurt out shortly, my head twinging in pain at the reminder of it. Levi himself seems.. disappointed in it, my heart sinks at the realisation of that, is he disappointed in me?

"You seem not the man who would do an unjust deed to another, though I admittedly know little about basitins and how you people would act. Surely you have a reason for such an action." He continues to push it. I throw my hands up in the air, I'm gonna feel bad if I just leave him.

"Fine, fine. Can I take a seat, at least?" Levi smiles warmly and nods, taking himself up to the stand. I plant my ass on one of the wooden seats in front of him, I can feel the coolness of it even through my cloak, the hood of it flinging off of my head, at least my ears feel free now. And so I tell him of the entirety of the event, finding and smelling out that disgusting scene of slavery, the rage and contempt I felt for the idiotic man who approached me, as well as the glee I felt, the feeling of disgust afterwards. I let out a long sigh as I finally finish my tale to him, holding my head in my hands, whether it's from being tired mentally or otherwise I can't tell. Levi himself stayed silent through out the entirety of it all, whenever I looked up to him he kept his small but reassuring smile on his face, at least he doesn't look like he's judging. After I finish, he's silent for a few moments, the echoing of my voice finally subsiding.

"Son, you have a particular.. zeal for the freedom of the keidran, as well as pride for yourself and your own wrath. Your own distaste for yourself and the way you act shows that, in a better head space, you're capable of understanding the right and wrong of your actions. I don't believe that the man would forgive you for it, as he has reason to do so, so your best action is to forgive yourself and recognise that it was your mistake, we are only mortals, and even the Masks are capable of making mistakes. Though I wonder, basitins don't usually care for the actions of other species, why is it that you care for the slavery of the keidran? It's a practise that's ongoing for quite a fair time." His voice is a very commanding but light one, as if preaching to a crowd. Makes sense given his station, to be honest. But the ending question puts my blood in a boiling state, I feel the heat and the rage flood throughout my chest, my head flicking upwards to glare at the man of the cloth, I feel my mouth turn into a snarl.

"Why do I care? Why do I care!? It's a disgusting and immoral practise that should be stamped out, like the vermin that use it to abuse others below them. One person should never remove the freedom of a being, whether if it be a damned keidran, basitin, because I wholeheartedly believe that they'd exist if there was ever a chance to do so, and the one who denies such a freedom to them deserves their own freedom removed! They don't deserve it, they don't deserve a damned thing!" I rant out aloud, my voice returning to its echoing in the Church hall. My breathing's heavy and ragged, a pain pings through my skull once again as my fists clench. Levi's looking down on me, his eyes not leaving mine as I continue to glare at him, my anger subsiding quickly as I return to my seat, rubbing at my head with my hands. "Sorry, Levi, you don't deserve to yelled at for it, you can't control the law this place,and I should be capable of holding in that anger, its just so god damn infuriating, why doesn't anyone see how wrong it is? Why doesn't anyone fucking do something about it?"

He's silent for a while, my echoing shouts fading eventually, though I still stuff my face in my hands, gods, is it really pushed that much, to the point where the subjugation of an entire race is just accepted? Who pushed for it, the Templars maybe? Or whoever the leader of the human territory would be, the King? My ears twitch as I hear echoing steps coming down the podium, looking upwards to see Levi stepping down from it. His eyes is an oddly steely stare as he grips my shoulder.

"Son, such a thought, while admirable, _can not be said_ in a public view, such a thing is treasonous and a crime to the Templars. I shant say anything against it myself, it is a noble and admirable trait for one to possess, I too believe that the keidran should be free myself, though saying such things aloud oft leads to the.. removal of such a person, human or otherwise, I dare not imagine what a Templar would do a basitin." His voice is low and tense, his ever increasing glare not straying from my eyes as I latch onto his, both of our breaths are held low. My eyes only leave his to twist and turn around to check the door, no one heard us right? The doors are still sealed shut, so I can at least hope that no one heard, or maybe the Guards are the reason no ones approached? I do return my attention to Levi, afterwards though

"I.. sorry, Father Levi, to worry you with my own thoughts, it just doesn't seem right, by any sense of the word or world. Maybe I'm a little too zealous over it, but it's just, it feels and looks so wrong." I reply back to him, looking low and away, god dammit, I really have to have a better control over myself. I look back up to him, his eyes shut tight in thought, letting out a 'hmph' before letting go of my shoulder, standing back up to his hunched height.

"Son, I have heard many confessions, I have been a staple member of this town for many years after all, your confession is one with more noble intentions that I've heard, though your anger can not be unstated. Do learn to control it, especially in public, I will attempt to handle what falling out may occur due to it here, but I have scant power elsewhere and you'll not always have people to confide in, even friends can be bought out. I've learnt that very personally." His voice turns low at the end of it, his eyes opening slowly and staring off into the darker abyss of the room, as if deep in thought. He closes them a moments later, shaking his head. "Time brings age, which brings experience and typically wisdom, and you have a long way to go, Son. Stick with Gerome and that guard boy you mightn't agree with them on all fronts, but they'll be a learning experience to becoming accustomed to this place. You truly don't know much, don't you?"

"I'm afraid not, Father Levi. A small, uh, incident robbed me of most of my memories." I reply, hand rubbing the back of my neck. Pssh, I'm talking out my ass, death isn't a small incident at all, Zeke. If Levi notices anything off about my reply, he doesn't say anything, instead simply nodding.

"I see, then it would be best to keep your friends as close as you can, Gerome would definitely feel indebted to assist you if Anna has any say in it. Your guard friend, though.. perhaps you two could help each other." His voice continues to stay low, and I tilt my head. Guard friend? Does he mean Edward? I guess there's the issue where he doesn't like keidran, maybe he has to hold in his anger too? Levi turns around and steps back up to his podium.

"Regardless, the Masks have made us, and therefore you, for a reason that not even I would comprehend. Your confession is safe with me Zeke, as is any that has been under this roof. If you've no further questions or confessions to alleviate your burdens, a personal of mine guard will escort you to the local Inn, though you best pay for your room yourself." I nod, I really am thankful for his help, and for listening to my uh, misdeed. I hum in thought afterwards, though.

"Actually, I do have a question. You keep mentioning the 'Masks', who are they?" I ask him, as Levi reaches the podium and fiddling with.. something behind it, the noise being a ruffling of paper. Documents or something? Finally he turns around, an eyebrow raised.

"Ah, that's right, your memory problem, not that it'd matter, it seems as if knowledge of them is something that people rather forget, or refuse to care for it. The Masks are the gods above us, who have created Mekkan for the three races that live upon this land, their names are Order, Neutral, and Chaos, names given by mortals to acknowledge and recognise them, though their true names are beyond us. Some, like I, choose to worship them in the steed of others neglecting to do so, some for differing reasons. I personally choose to do so in the belief that their existence should be more forth front in a Mans mind, and to atone for my own mistakes." Is his long winded reply, his voice almost giving out towards the end as he proceeds to cough, leaning on the podium for balance. My ears flatten, is he okay? Or is he not used to speaking for too long?

"I see. I apologise if it was difficult to speak of it, I wouldn't want any discomfort on your part after all, do you need any help Levi?" His coughing slowly subsides, his head shaking and looking down to me, a small smile on his face.

"Worry not, Zeke. It's only my body that struggles to keep up with myself after all. If that's all you require, then I must depart, I am needed elsewhere." I nod and finally stand up, giving him a cheerful wave and turning around, moving out of the Church. As I reach the doors, I turn around to him, I can see him grab and begin to carry an armful of paper in his hands, so I was right bout it being paper at least.

"If you need anything Levi, just give me a yell and I'll help ya!" I call out to him, the voice echoing throughout the Church as I wince, right, place echoes and I don't need to do that. I push open the heavy doors, swinging them open and walking into the chilly air, shivering and hugging at my cloak. The moonlight has already filled the area, moon beginning its rise into the sky, was I really in there for that long? Just means I need to get to the Inn quicker. I turn to one of the guards, I don't think I should touch their shoulder to catch their attention if the doors haven't, so I instead cough to do so.

"Excuse me, Sir, Father Levi has suggested that I ask you to help me to the Inn, that wouldn't be too much trouble, would it?" I ask politely, and for a while I imagine they just ignore my request, before the one on the left looks around, jabbing the butt of his spear into the ground.

"Follow." Is his only short reply, before marching forwards and towards a street, his marching strides are long and hasty but stable and well performed. Oh wait I need to actually follow him! I realise that after what feels like a mite bit too long, chasing after him with my own brisk jogging, Jesus Christ he's fast. I spend most of the time walking trying to catch up to the fast bugger, how he manages to lug himself around in heavy armour is beyond me, the longer we spend walking the tighter he holds onto his spear. The spear, I didn't notice it before in detail, but the shaft is made of a thick and study wood, the spearhead itself seems to be thoroughly lodged onto the tip of it, itself being a shiny silver that shines even in the moonlight, the edges are tapered smoothly and glistening with a smooth but sharp side on either edge. I rub at my chest, specifically over the chain mail, grabbing at it lightly while my hand grips my sword hilt, if I get stabbed by that, I don't think the chain mail can help much..

After what seems like an age, he finally stops, I almost walk into him but I manage to catch myself. He directs his spear tip towards the house, an two story ornate one that's similar to the one back in the previous village. Him moving the spear tip does cause me to flinch lightly, I guess I am that jumpy, at least I get a warm bed tonight instead of a bloody barrel. The guard says nothing, instead turning and walking back the way we came, disappearing into another street. I sigh to myself and rub at my unfocused eyes before walking up the stairs and into the Inn, opening the doors, a bell jingling as I do so.

Stepping inside, the Inn itself is barren of most patrons, though a few still dawdle around to eat at food and drink their froffy grog, none truly paying attention to me as I walk past them, not beyond a few side eyes anyhow. I step up to the barkeepers counter, akin to my last time in an Inn, he's cleaning at a glass mug, with a somewhat dirty rag. Can't exactly think that's hygienic, nor is the wooden pick that he's biting at, hanging loosely in his mouth, it fits with his overall rough and tough face though, short greasy black or brown hair ontop his head, I truly can't recognise it's actual colour due to the light and lack of maintenance. His lips are scarred and dry, and turned into a scowl at my presence.

"Wot do you want, mutt?" Is his quick and to the point question, voice sounding like he's choking on phlegm but extremely deep and baritone. I feel my nose twitch and crinkle in distaste, gods his breath is rancid. 'I'm not a mutt, you bastard.' I think to myself, though I don't dare speak it aloud.

"How much for a room?" I ask back, arms folded. He looks pensive for a moment, placing his still dirty cup onto the counter.

"It'll be 10 silver a night for a single room, single bed, pay for your food yourself. If you shedding you're gonna be paying extra." I 'tsk' to myself. 'I don't shed, but if I do I'll sure as fuck do it on your bed, not mine.' Of course I keep this to myself, instead placing my bag on a stool, reaching into the bag and pulling up the sack, bringing it out and looking inside, bringing out the necessary coins. I ain't letting this shmuck see any of my gold pieces.

"Which room?" He kneels, I hear a wooden door opening from behind the counter top, as well as jingling before he rises again, a key in his hands.

"Fifth from the right, if you got the coins." I roll my eyes and hold out my hand, the bartender picking a pinch of them up, I can hear him counting the coins underneath his breathe, my foots tapping against the wooden floor. I can count, I know its 10, just take the damn pile. After a few more moments of counting, he tosses the keys into my hand, pocketing the coins himself. With that waiting finally over, I march up the stairs, he said fifth from the right after all. The stairs are loud and creaky, but thankfully I don't fall through them at least, I find the door, I fumble with the keys a little bit, shoving it in the lock and twisting it, pushing the door open with my body weight, god I'm damned tired. The room looks.. okay, its very plain, a single window, wooden floor, there's a single sized bed covered in a dirty white sheet. I'm not gonna complain honestly.

I throw off my bag into the corner of the room, closest to the bed, followed by my cloak, and chain mail. I rub at my eyes and flop onto the bed, it's not extremely soft in the slightest, but at least it's malleable enough. I sigh and and close my eyes, smothering my face into the pillow. It's cold and dark, but I'll force myself to fall into sleep anyways.


	11. Chapter 11

I feel the pitch black dark swirling around myself, obscuring my vision with wisps of shadow, my body shaking and taking shuddering breaths for non existent air, its so cold, so so cold. The shivering doesn't stop, the freeze running itself up and down my bones, oh god please stop, where's the heat, where's any warmth? It feels like an age of being suspended in the numbing jet black, slowly though, I feel my senses return to me, silence is deafening in my ears, ringing and rattling my skull. Stale air breaks into my lungs as the darkness finally dissipates, eyes shooting open as deep coughs force itself from my throat, jolting up into a sitting position. After a while of coughing up my lungs, covering my mouth with my hands and lathering my gloves with spittle, I look up and around the room. The bed's definitely not the one I went to sleep in, a grey and light blue striped blanket covering the mattress, the word 'doona' brushing over my mind, I can feel its softness even through my gloves, wincing slightly as I accidentally brush my spit over it, whoops? I return my attention to the rest of the room, it's not large and its very box shaped, a desk is placed in the far left, it looks like it used to be a pure white, but it seems run down and old, parts of it eaten away by insects, termites most likely, or just covered in a dark mold, the wooden chair placed in front of it has metal legs, of which is bent and rusted. My nose crinkles as I look to it, gods, I'm glad I can't smell it from here, or anything at all it seems, I'd very likely detest it. Continuing my examination of the room, it's extremely messy, the carpet is torn and walls equally as molded as the desk, a book case opposite to me is stuffed to the brim with books, though I can't see the sides of it from here, the books seem to be in good condition considering the rest of the room. The last thing of note is a wooden wardrobe, a rusted chain looped around the doors with a single silvery lock between the door knobs.

I lift myself onto unsteady feet, taking a moment to adjust. It feels like the rooms just that little bit off, as if on a slant, and looking down on myself, I'm still dressed in the same clothes I slept in. 'Oh! I went to sleep... Is this a dream of some kind? It's so vivid' I think to myself, I raise my hands and move my fingers around, I can feel the leather of my gloves on my hands, and the air flowing through me as I breathe, god it's so stale in here, if it's a dream then it's a very vivid one. Stepping around the carpet, I can feel the dampness underneath my feet and I cringe, ew ew ew that's actually gross. Instead, I try to step as lightly as possible, at least some parts of the floor isn't a disgusting wetness, this entire room looks like a breeding ground for disgusting bacteria and other unhygienic things, at least I haven't dry heaved yet, I imagine being unable to smell anything helps with that. I approach the the desk, loathe as I am to do so, I do want to check it out a little bit closer. Doing so doesn't do too much, though I notice there's a cabinet stand under it, I almost didn't notice it because of all the damned mold. I kneel and look over it, the handle is at the top and looks as wrecked as the rest of the desk, it's something to open, sighing in resignment and wrapping my hands over it and yanking at it yields very little results, though, the rusted joints behind it grinding against itself with a small shrieking noise. I wince as the cabinet shrieks, ears flattening against my head, gods that's loud, alright Zeke, one, two, three! On the final count of three I grip the handle and heave myself backwards, the carpet underneath me almost tearing itself from its seams, but the thing finally throws itself open. It's screeching reaches a high as it reaches the end of its path, bouncing back slightly as it reaches its furthest opening, thank gods I flattened my ears. The handle was worn and molded, and extremely fragile, however, it snaps off of it as I launch myself backwards, landing on my rump with a small 'oof', clutching at the snapped handle. I look down on it, eyebrows raising slightly before tossing it to my side, I can't say that I expected it, but I'm not surprised regardless.

I rise back onto my knees, kneeling once more in front of the cabinet, looking inside of it revealing.. nothing, nothing but a deep inky darkness, static and glooming. I furrow my brow, surely there's something inside of this, right? The longer I look into the cabinets abyss, the more it begins to writhe and change, it begins to pulsate in a steady fashion, almost like it's breathing. It's unsettling to look at, it's almost organic, but almost magical, and entirely unnatural, though it's not doing much beyond existing. I look around the sides of the cabinet, there's nothing else to this thing sadly, and so I take a deep breath, the chills already tingling my spin. I plunge my hand into the writhing dark, my hand sinking deep into it. It's cold and feels how I expect it to, thick and almost requires effort to go through. It's deeper than it looks, reaching down almost to my shoulder, though I feel my gloves knock against it's sides, thudding hollowly, there has to be something inside this damned thing. I purse my lips in concentration, swirling and groping around it, traces of frustration touching the back of my mind, I'll find something in this mess if it costs the rest of this dream. After a while longer, I feel something brush the tips of my fingers, my eyes opening in surprise and a smile on my face, found something! I grasp at the object, the face of it's small, small enough to wrap my hand around it and pull it upwards, it feels like trying to drag something through sludge, finally pulling it free from the cabinet, the dark oozing off of my arm and dripping onto the floor, dissipating with a small 'hiss' noise. I finally look at whatever I just yanked after shaking the rest of the mess off of it, the object being a small deep blue book, the front of it is plainly made, but it seems to be made of leather, or fake leather anyways, there's a small black strap running down from top to bottom, keeping it shut.

'I went through all that for a tiny ass journal? Why wouldn't this be on the book case instead?' I think to myself, I'm only a little bit miffed, but I might as well go through the thing. I walk over to the bed and take a seat on it, the springs underneath the mattress squeaking under the pressure, it sounds worn but not rusty and old, why is the bed in such a good condition compared to the rest of the room? Not that I'm complaining, it's comfortable, physically and mentally too. It seems so.. familiar, the feeling of it is soothing even given the stale air. I pull the strap away and flip open the mini journal, turning to the first page, the design of it being an overly elaborate looking mini calendar, the top of the page emblazoned with the number '2018' and the font for each month being cursive, I can't tell if its hand drawn or done mechanically though, maybe it was copied from a hand made journal? The days of the months are scratched onto it with the same style as the months headings, though seemingly random ones have been crossed out with a deliberately intense pen stroke, almost covering the numbers themselves. I flip to the next page, and the next one, a heap of the initial pages are untouched and barren, there's no sign of whoever the rightful owner of this would be, sadly.

I hum to myself, turning back to the first page, there's no strikes on any of the days from January or February, and the pages are clean.. 'Maybe each strike is a page that's been used?' I think to myself, the first number thats been crossed out seems to be March the third, so I decide to flip to that page itself. Upon doing so, I do manage to see that it has been written in, it's done in a beautifully flowing cursive writing too, so whoever had a hold of this put in a lot of effort in their penmanship.

'The new recruit has shown an acceptable amount of promise and has such been an apt enough gift given the circumstances, other experimental factors and the difficulty of the task presented, we wish that there could have been a more timely circumstance to have implemented such a change, but this seems to be auspicious enough to complete the objective given' I read to myself mentally, the cursive is difficult to read at times, and I do end up scratching my head, the fuck does auspicious mean? Who writes like this? It looks like someone thats trying to sound smart, at least now I know there's no chance of it being mine, other than the whole language thing. Regardless, at least it's something from this bloody room. Speaking of the room, actually, I look up from the journal and look around the room, there's no windows in this place, nor is there a door, why didn't I notice that sooner? I guess it is a dream, the only way to leave would be to wake up.

I hum to myself, still holding the journal in my hand while my other cups my chin, fingers tapping against my chin. I have no idea why, but the entry seems familiar too, not in the way that the bed is, as if I've read this before. Maybe that's why it's in my dreams, because it's something I know, even if I don't remember? I shrug and flip to the next page, if I'm stuck in here for a bit longer then I might as well snoop through more of it. The first thing I realise is that the writing is immensely different, from an elegant cursive to a more childish scrawl, chicken scratches would be more legible than this, squinting hard enough and reading over the mess repeatedly makes it more decipherable at least.

'Bos give good moni for girl. hurt from gards. i like new gui.' The entire entry is littered with spelling mistakes, and it's almost baffling, but at least I manage to read through it eventually. At least they knew what a full stop was if nothing else, then again I don't think this is a good time to critique things. The entry itself is, curious to say the least, did this journal have multiple owners? It'd explain the difference in tone at least. What about the next page? Flipping to that shows another entirely differently penmanship, not as elegant as the first and not nearly as awful as the second one, it's smooth and nice to look at, but its written in a hasty and almost angry fashion, letters overlapping each other with ink stains blotted around them.

'Such disgusting mongrels, the sinfulness of their continued existence will be rectified, onwards!' I can't help but scratch my head at it, this sounds like something I'd almost say, though such a small entry leaves a lot to think about, there's no context to it. It's not even written like it should be in a journal either, and again with the different writing, the hell's up with this? I sigh to myself and shut the book, still keeping a solid hold on it and resting my head atop the thing, what's the purpose of all of this? A dream as vivid as this isn't normal in the slightest.

I rise to my feet and approach the book case, maybe there'll be something different there, despite the ickiness of the room, the book case as well as the books themselves are in an okay condition, at least on the surface level. I raise my hand and run it over the spines of them, eyes squinting slightly. They certainly feel like books, but they lack any wording on them, and given how similar most of them tend to be, it'd be near impossible to tell the difference between one and another, still, I pick out a random book and, after placing the journal on the shelf, open up the blank covered book. The front page is blank, as well as the page afterwards, and the page after that, skimming through each page yields nothing, each page is as blank as the last with crumpled edges, it's not a very large book at least. I feel a tinge of annoyance creep, I'm somewhat miffed about this, what about the next book? Putting it into its rightful place, I tear out the book next to it, equally as blank, equally as useless as the previous one throughout its entirety. The next book is the same, as is the next one, the creep of anger sneaking into my chest as I roughly shove the seventh skimmed book into its place. This entire book case is actually worthless, what's the purpose of books without words? My face contorts into an irked frown, this thing's just a waste of time.

Something inside my head or heart, though, compels me to push forward, this thing can't be entirely for nothing, right? I kneel to the lower parts of the book case, the thing almost feels like it's looming over me as I examine the lower shelves. They don't look different from the others, and yet... there's a pull for them of some sort, am I just imagining it? I reach out and grab a book, the far left one, it's as thin as a stick but tall length wise. I feel a sense of apprehension and dread run through me, but I force my tingling finger tips to tear open the cover of it, the pages flip and thrashes violently in a non existent wind, I yelp and drop the book, stepping away from it as it falls to the ground. The pages continue its aggravated flapping, pain flaring in my skull as I fall to my knees, the pain and pressure around it fucking hurts, I squeeze my eyes shut. Oh god it hurts, it hurts it hurts, I grab the back of my head and force my forehead into the floor, anything to distract from it, ithurtspleasesto-

T_he toll bell rings one final time, the crowd dispersing itself slowly. I stand straight and still, eyes glazing over the heads of the visitors, most faces aren't ones I recognise, other than the nobles from the surrounding areas. The mens sorrowful faces and ladies sniffling sounds, as well as their ruined make up, are very well crafted masks to disguise their likely uncaring, or perhaps even joyful true reactions to the funeral. Their eyes look over my face for few moments between each other, each reaction being either one of suspicion, disgust, or disinterest. Whatever thoughts they have is their own, and none of my concern after all. When the majority of them have finally left, I twist around and march towards the gate of the graveyard, small pockets of locals still idling around and drinking glasses wine, a generous donation from the Templars for the grieving family of the lost. They had been thankful for the gift, as well as the accommodation of protection for them, though they had been rather stifled in their expression of thanks, likely due to the rawness of it. In truth I know not who was killed, nor would I care to, I'm only here to provide protection for the ones thats arrived. _

_The setting sun shines upon my cauldrons, a shining silver in the dimming sunlight, Templar emblem engraved onto the chest piece. Black robe fluttering in the soft wind as I continue my slow march past the gate, turning a stiff left and proceeding forward. The Captain ought to be waiting down their somewhere, a gloved hand resting upon my sword hilt, I can still feel the broad side of the blade tapping against my leg even through the robe. I can see the Captain ahead, though he seems distracted by his chat with a lady thats approached him, I can see his bearded mug morphed into a grin. The lady responds to whatever the Captain said in a delighted manner, a polite titter is something I can hear through her politely covered mouth, light blonde hair cascading down her shoulders and her deep red dress is a needlessly elegant one, especially for walking around in. As I reach the Captain, he seems to notice my approach, his face turning stoic and professional, it's entertaining seeing how he can change his face at the drop of a hat. _

_"Rookie, you've finally arrived. Anything to report?" His gruff voice is one that rumbles through my ears, and the lady seems delighted to hear it though, a sigh escaping her lips as she leans against the Captain, his lip twitching upwards for only a moment. I can't imagine that the armour he's wearing is comfortable in the slightest, Templar emblem engraved onto the chest piece like mine, a crest placed alongside it. I shake my head and clasp my hands around my back, standing straight and to attention. _

_"None, sir." I reply to him coldly and stiffly. He hums and cups his chin in return, his attention turning to his apparent lady for the night briefly with a lecherous grin on his face. The lady flushes a deep red, a loud yelp coming from her as well as a flustered bout of words, a hand slapping against the Captains chest piece lightly. I hold in my sigh at the exchange, it's not my place to ask nor worry about it. _

_"Then you're done for the day, even a furred thing like yourself has to let off some steam, why don't you find a girl for the night? They're always looking for a lovely Templar, after all." He suggests, the lady in his arms giggling alongside him. I don't comment, only continuing to look straight into his eyes. After a while, he coughs into a hand. "Right then, I'll take that as your answer, I hope not all you things are this prude." _

_And with that, the Captain carries the girl bridal style, girlish giggling echoing in my ears as he sprints away with her, most likely to either his home or to an Inn. I sigh to myself and turn away, I already know where to go. If the Captain's going to be going home with the girl, I really hope his wife isn't there for his sake, I don't know how he gets away with that.. he's still the Captain for a reason, though,_

_Down the street, to the left, keep walking straight, second right street. The wind dies down slightly as I continue my venture, the locals staying out of my way. I turn another corner, the final one before reaching the hall, a brown blur running into my chest. Whoever it is, they're light enough that it barely knocks me back, however they're send planted onto their ass, a small whine coming from them. 'Them' turns out to be a deep brown fox keidran, a small and frail thing, their barely acceptable and ragged robe doesn't hide their lithe figure very well, though it covers the essentials at the very least. Their face is small and pointed, brown fur most of it, small white spots peppered around the mouth, short black hair covers the top of its head, its misshapen and seems likely cut with a knife. After a few moments of it rubbing its butt, they finally stand to attention, lips molding itself into a worried frown with the bottom lip trembling, its copper coloured eyes lighting up fear._

_"S-s-s-sorry, Templar sir!" Its stuttering, shrill and high pitched voice forces my ear to twitch, I feel my lips form itself into a small frown. Why does their voices always have to be so loud. It lets out a small 'eep' of surprise as shes pulled backwards, stumbling back to a steady stance, a fat noble taking its place. He gasps for air, his chest heaving in his desperation for it, doesn't look like he gets out much, his face is familiar though, his second chin wobbles with his staggered breath, lips twitching his fuzzy moustache as his small beady eyes looks into mine. _

_"S-sorry for the girl, Sir Templar, I-I'll be sure to have her properly punished!" He barely manages to squeak out of his lungs in a slimy voice before jerking into a coughing fit, at least he recover soon afterwards, and doesn't get any spit on me. I look at the fox, their eyes watering and lips terse, I sigh to myself and rub at my temple, I don't want to deal with this. _

_"Do as you will, now get out of my way." I brush past the slimy noble, continuing back on my path. I hear him call out behind me, though I leave them be, a slave and their master is not my issue, either. I finally approach the hall, the guards near the door takes a look at me, then my armour, before quickly standing straight and saluting. I walk past them and open the doors into the hall, merchants and nobles muddled together discussing whatever subjects they wish to speak whilst the setting rays of the sun illuminates the floor, the stained glass windows colouring the floor in their artistical majesty. I ignore them, as well as the side eyeing nonsense they send my way, brushing past another fox slave walking around with food, its body tensing as they shuffle away from me. At least that has the decency to move away, unlike the rest of the horde around here, their gazing becoming more frenzied and their mutterings tumultuous. Keep going, keep moving, they're not important, just get to Her. I rush myself towards the end of the room, behind the set stage, whoever's playing that damned organ really ought to practise away from people. The guards stationed there are lax, paying little attention till my approach, their spears barely missing my face, the shafts tapping against my chest piece._

_"Halt! What business do you have here?" The one on the left questions, the baritone sound of his voice sounds forced, and probably is, given how young his face seems to be, as if barely reached adulthood by the skin of his teeth, his chest puffed out and back forced straight. I only stare into the mans eyes, his gaze is unfocused despite the furrowed brows, the tremor in his arm is only slight, barely noticeable, I'd be impressed with his ability to put on a mask if he wasn't in the way._

_"Templar business, none of your concern. Now move." I reply flatly, his eyes flash with concern for a moment as I continue to glare down to him. He exhales from his nose, it's short and tense, his hand squeezing on his spear._

_"Listen, the Mayor's currently busy with a meeting, if you'd like to wa-" Whatever the man wanted to say is cut off as I grab him, pulling him towards me and smashing my head against his own, the hands wrapped around his shoulders really helping to bring his skull into the encroaching mashing, unfortunately for him he refused to wear a helmet. His partner steps back in shock, giving me more than enough time to repeat the process again and again, the man going limp and collapsing to the floor as I let him go, armour clunking against the wall and head lolling to the side, he'll probably live and wake up with a shocking headache. I turn to his friend, the guard shaking and stepping away from me, shaking spear tip pointed towards my chest, I stare into the frightened mans eyes and slowly lowered the tip with a finger, instead pushing the door open and stepping over the mans unconscious body as it flops onto the next rooms floor. _

_I see Her at her desk in the far end of the room, at least her hair, seated in front of her is a robe clad man, he doesn't turn around as I walk foreward, but She pokes up her head, one of her eyebrows raises as she leans on a hand, an amused but curious look in her emerald green eyes. The room's lined wall to wall with book cases and books themselves, mercantile related scrolls laid on the top of them and scattered around elsewhere, I can hear her humming to herself as I approach her, stepping next to the robed man, he's still silent, his hood obscuring his face._

_"Oh my, I should have imagined you would have forced yourself through, but did you really have to brutalise my guard so much?" She questions me, her voice is the same velvety smooth as it usually is, but the soothing feeling from it is always welcoming. I twist my head towards the door, the still conscious guard dragging his friends body frantically out of the door way, closing it shut behind him. I turn back to Her and shrug, crossing my arms as I stare into her eyes, she knows why I'm here._

_"Tsk tsk, I thought we were friends, I expected better of you my dear~ Or at least to be less serious, it's such a waste after all." Her silk voice is tinged with a bit of humour, and faux disapproval, I roll my eyes, but I feel the edge of my lips twitch upwards much to my own displeasure. The coo I hear from Her makes me groan aloud, she must've saw that twitch. She pushes herself from her seat and elegantly walks towards me, her deep red dress flowing and hugging at her body, even in the dimmer light of the room it sparkles elegantly, her slim hands cup around my chin, thumbs rubbing against my fur as she forces me to look down to her, a teasing smile on her dainty face. She's worn make up again, a part of her normal routine for meetings and other public events, emerald eyes lighting up with a teasing glee._

_"Awh, even a dear such as you can smile, you really should lighten up some more." Her voice is low and serious, but the smile on her face is almost genuine. I feel my cheeks flare up at he contact, close proximity is not what I'm used to._

_"I'm just here for what I need, My Dame." I force my voice low to avoid any hitching, coming off far huskier than what I wish. Her full lips form a mock pout, giving my cheek a small pat before twisting and returning to her desk, hips swaying purposefully as she reaches down to open a cabinet at it. I pinch my eyes together, this lady's going to be the death of me, damn her. It takes a few seconds of silence from myself and the robed man, who's still deathly silent and still, his cloak barely moving with his breaths, but she finally turns around, a large and sturdy book in her hands. I take it from her, the heft of it is nice, and not too heavy given its size. _

_"As you requested, my dear, I truly with you gave me more chances to toy with it, but it's yours now." She re-seats herself as I flip through the book. The pages are all clean and crisp, plenty of space to write and draw whatever I need, nodding and stuffing it under my arm pit to carry it, I give her a small bow, she deserves such respect. I hear her tittering, and I can imagine the smug smile on her face._

_"Is that all, my dear? You know you can always ask me for anything you need, or want~" I feel myself flush once again, coughing into my hand as she titters again. At least the robed man has the decency to be silent through out this. My business here's done at least, I make my way to the door and push it open, neither guards seem to be around anymore, the one left awake likely dragged him away._

_"Don't be a stranger~!" She calls out from behind me as I close the door, a tingle going up my spine as she speaks. Gods damn her, the woman's too open with how she acts. I ignore the rabble around me as I reach the town hall doors, pushing them open and into the town itself-_

I launch myself into a sitting position on the bed, clutching my head in its throbbing pain, though it dies down quickly enough. I look around the bed, the sheets are thrown around in a disordered manner, hanging from the bed itself or plain tossed around the room, shaking my head and taking in deep breaths to steady myself, wiping away the beading sweat from my face. I groan and lay back into the, resting my head against the pillow and collecting my thoughts, rubbing at my temple. The dream, memory thing, that's what that was right? A dream straight into a section of my, or Zekes memory at least. God, it's nice to remember something, but Jesus Christ I was an asshole apparently. Is that what Anna said when she said she saw something different in my eyes?

I return to a sitting position, my clothes feels damp from sweat, ruffling my face with my hands to wake myself up. Was that guard alright, why did I remember that part specifically? And that lady... A shudder goes up my spine, at least I had good tastes in chicks, wish I learned her name, was she my boss, or a secondary boss or something? I stand up and move towards my bag, opening it and rummaging around, eventually finding the journal. I wipe away the miscellaneous dirt and muck from the bag on it, this is the same journal I got from the lady, why was it so important to me, or Zeke, am I still Zeke?

I groan and rub at my head, stuffing the journal back in my bag, it's too early for existential questioning, and I want food. Speaking of journals, though, what about the dream journal there? The things in there didn't seem like an entry of any kind, so what would it be?

And that caged wardrobe.. the hell could that mean? How would I even unlock it? If I smack it hard enough with a hammer, maybe it'll open, do I want to see whats inside? The rumbling of my stomach knocks me out of my thoughts though, clutching my stomach for a moment before standing up. Right, food stuff, that's important. I take the next few minutes to tidy up the bed, even if I don't like the bartender, I might as well be kind enough to fix a little bit for whoever else works here. I throw on my chain mail, as well as my cloak and gloves, they're at least a comforting reminder of my friends, strapping my bag onto my back and pushing the door open into the hallway, there's few people entering and leaving their rooms, some with food, others empty handed and going about their business.

I take in a deep breath, and then let it out, stretching around a little bit, my bones cracking as I do so. I feel a kind of hope swell up in my chest, I'm not sure where it's coming from, but other than the rough start to the morning, I think today's gonna go just fine.


	12. Chapter 12

The stairs creek as I make my way down the stairs, double checking that I have everything on me mid way though it, I look over the present patrons, the only ones that seem to be present are those that have stayed at the Inn overnight, the majority of them seated at tables while others are near the bar itself, chugging at their mugs. The place still has the same atmosphere as last night, though it's still early morning, and the staff themselves seem positive enough, the waitresses and waiters moving between the customers, they seem to be taking orders with that professional retail smile on their mugs. As I reach the base of the stairs, I get a look at the bar itself, and to my surprise there's a different bartender this morning, though they look awkwardly similar visually, his lips aren't as cracked as the previous one, his hair is.. green? Not quite the hair colour I'd expect from him, and its a very deep forest green type of colour, is that normal here, or a dye of some kind? It's a very distinctive feature from him, and looking at the rest of his face he looks a fair bit younger than the other one, his face a lot smoother and pointier, how'd that escape me? I guess I just expecting the previous one, old bastard. The clothes I can see from this angle, at least, is a simple apron and a short sleeved shirt.

The bartender notices my lingering gaze, an eyebrow raised as his equally green eyes looks over my face, even as he leaves the customers at the counter their alcoholic mugs in front of him. Oh wait, I'm just staring at this dude, that's pretty awkward. I smile awkwardly myself and give him a small wave, taking a seat on the end of the counter, while I don't imagine the people next to me would care about me being not quite human, I don't want to risk it, just in case. The bartender briskly moves himself towards myself, picking up an empty mug on the way, rubbing away the remaining drops with a swift wipe of his cloth, I scratch at the back of my neck.

"Er, sorry about that Sir, I lost track of myse-"

"I don't swing that way." His voice is low and monotone, it fits his gaze as he looks over me, despite his swiftness in body, his blinking is slow and relaxed. I blink myself, head tilting, what does he mean by that? I feel the cogs turning in my head, it's far too early to be trying to think honestly, but it eventually clicks in my mind, I feel my face burn as I raise my hands to him.

"W-wait a second, that's not what I was thinking of! You're just not who I expected is all, I met someone very different last night." I explain myself to him, resting my hands on the counter to stop myself from fiddling my fingers together, Jesus Christ I'm feeling very.. unbalanced today, at least emotionally, is that cause of the dream? I can't see beyond the neutral face of the bartender, but he at least gives me a small nod, dipping his chin slightly.

"You met Father, then. Doesn't really like animals, let alone strangers, and you're both." My ears twitch as he says 'animal', frowning at him slightly. I can't tell, but I don't think he means it maliciously? There's no malice underneath his monotone voice, as far as I can tell, but it rubs me the wrong way.

"Well, sorry for being a basitin then I guess. Everyone kind of figures I'm not from around here, anyways." I don't mean to sound so huffy and resentful when I reply to him, my ears flattening. It's, odd, now that I think about my ears, it's as if I can feel them a little bit more than before as the hair rubs against my neck, and I can't exactly control what they do it seems, the twitching is irksome to say the least too. I really wish I wasn't a bloody basitin if it was going to come with so much bloody baggage. The bartender himself shrugs nonchalantly, half lidded eyes looking down to his cup.

"Basitin, then. No idea what that is, Father likely think's you're a keidran. Even if you were a human, no one would think you a local, no one calls a bartender 'Sir' here." It's incredibly hard to judge what the mans thinking, his eyes lack a spark behind it and his voice is incredibly monotone, it doesn't leave much to decipher. At least he's being polite, whether it be because I'm a paying customer or because it's who he is. I do wonder, should I stop calling people 'Sir' and such? It kind of seems to put people off, especially in a non noble type area, maybe I should reserve it solely to them?

"..are you ordering anything?" The bartenders voice knocks me out of my thoughts, I scratched the back of my neck once again.

"Er, sorry again, just a little scatterbrained at the moment. Do you have anything meaty, like steak? Is steak a thing here? And, I dunno, mug of milk I guess." The man raises an eyebrow, but doesn't object, instead he nods and walks away, barking an order to whoever's behind the counter. I feel quite pleased with myself, actually, my fingers tapping against the wood, even despite being more absent minded than usual with the thoughts and what-not, I still feel quite.. happy I think? Maybe it's just a feeling that'll come and go, but I like to imagine that part of it is from remembering who I am, or was, even if I was a bit of an ass, something to remember is nice. The stool next to me screeches lightly as it's pulled back, the sudden noise pulling me out of my thoughts again as I look up, I know that blonde hair anywhere! I smile wide as Edward takes a seat next to me, placing his already half empty cup of alcohol on the counter, why does he drink so early of all people? His face is that professional neutral, but I can tell he's at least a little happy underneath it! I wrap an arm around his shoulder and give him a friendly side hug, ignoring his voice of protest.

"Eddy boy! Here I was missing ya, how've you been holding up?" Edward grumbles under his breath, raising his mug to his lips and taking a gulp down.

"I've been alright Fuzz, I'm just here to make sure you don't somehow start a bar brawl because you opened your mouth." His voice is a faux scathing, and I can hear the smile behind it, sounds like it's just in good sport. I roll my eyes and poke my tongue out to him, grinning slyly.

"Come on Edward, I haven't done anything wrong just yet, don't you have faith in me?" I feel an itching feeling in the back of my head, even as I smile at him-

His eyes dart left and right, each orb filled with fear as he gurgles in my hands, the grip around his neck tightens further and further as the roar of the crowd around us reaches a new height.

I shake my heard away from those thoughts, feeling my smile fall as I put my attention onto the counter, it was a mistake, a fucking massive mistake but a mistake nonetheless, I'll take whatever the repercussions could be on the chin and deal with it as best as I can. Closing my eyes, I try to mask it with eye rubbing and a yawn, resting my head on my hands. Edward doesn't make any further comment, instead choosing to tend to his remaining grog, the others in the bar continuing their regular business, some of them roaring with laughter over an unheard joke. I would normally be able to hear whatever they're talking about, but lowering my ears against my neck tends to help with the sound, or at least not hear everything specifically and simultaneously, hurts my head, at least I don't have to use my hood. I wonder, where would Gerome and Vector be? Must be doing merchant related stuff, maybe they're selling off and restocking products?

I refocus my thoughts as the bartender places a wooden plate in front of me, the smell of well cooked meat wafting upwards and filling my sense of smell with it, it's a great smell, especially when compared to the rest of the Inn, simple metal knife and fork placed on either side. There's another clattering, this one is from the glass placed next to it, the milk swirling on the inside. I'm not sure why there's a spark of glee from inside me as I grasp at the cup and take a quick swig from it, it's nice and refreshing at least. I place it down, I'll finish the rest after I finish the steak. Cutting into it is only a little bit difficult, as if its slightly overcooked, but it tastes good enough. Overall it's a nice meal, and it's definitely a welcome change over rations and such, god I miss Annas cooking though..

"-eal with the milk?" I hear the petering end of a question from Edward, I turn to him with a mouthful of steak still locked away in my mouth, still munching away at it.

"Shay ahen?" I ask him with a stuffed mouth, I'd imagine it to look a little bit comedic, but Edwards face morphs into a confused but slightly disgusted face, nose crinkling as he pulls back a little.

"Eaugh, please don't talk with your mouth full, or at least keep it shut. I get the steak there, but most people buy alcohol at an Inn, so what's the deal with the milk?" He questions me, face turning stoic once again. I, for one, think he can bite my ass, this steak actually tastes fantastic the more I bite into it, but I at least get why hes so taken aback by it. I swallow down the rest of the steak before replying to him.

"Nyeh nyeh, I'll talk as much as I want. And I'm not sure really, I didn't want to drink so early in the morning and milk seemed okay, is there an issue with that?" He doesn't reply immediately, he seems in some thought, but he does hand his now empty mug to a passing waitress.

"..I suppose not, it's just odd is all. If anything it's something that a kid or teenager would get, assuming their parents would care if they drank." His voice peters off towards the end of his reply, eyes unfocusing as if in thought or distracted, he shuts his eyes for a few moments before reopening them. I tilt my head as he decides that his pockets are very interesting, running his hands through them, I wonder why he's reacting so.. strangely.

"Hey, milk is absolutely fantastic and whoever thinks otherwise can bite me, it's good for your bones." I puff out my chest, downing the rest of the milk afterwards. God this milk tastes great, maybe its just basitin biology? How would keidrans react to milk then? Would the more feline looking keidran like to drink it like the stereotypical cats from back home? Edward himself looks a little bewildered.

"Good for the bo- what? Well, whatever you say, just be sure to pay for the food, I don't think the owners here would like you taking their food and leaving. I do require you for a moment though, so finish yourself up quickly, I'll be waiting outside." He leaves as quickly as he comes, moving himself out of the Inn with a quick pace. I raise an eyebrow, what the hell would he need me for? Shrugging, I raise a hand and call out to the bartender, who abruptly stops his cleaning duties and appears in front of me. It's incredibly jarring to see him do that, I guess he's been working here for a long time.

"Anything else, or are you finished?" He asks in that flat voice of his, hands pressing against the counter top. I shake my head, putting the cuttlery on the plate as well as the glass and gently push it towards him, I preemptively reach around and dig into my bag, grabbing the sack of coins in it. I wonder, maybe I should get a small hip-bag to put my coins in? That makes it a little too easy for someone to nick cash off of me, though.

"Seven silver." I nod and grab the amount from the bag, placing the coins onto the mans awaiting hand and dashing off, stuffing the bag back into my bag mid stride. I push the door open, the morning wind rushing over my fur and through my hair as I step outside, I take a small moment to appreciate it, it's nice and cool, better than the stuffy warm that's the inn, at least to me. Edwards idling near the bottom of the stairs, leaning against the walls of the Inn, it's odd to see the man in more casual clothes, a simple brown t-shirt and baggy pants really doesn't suit him, and given how zealous he is with his guard duties... maybe he really wants to enjoy this day off? He looks up from the ground as I approach him, he seemed to have been deep in thought.

"I'm surprised you came out so quickly, I expected you to be distracted with some nonsense in there." He says jokingly, a smirk on his face. I roll my eyes and wave my hand, giving him a friendly nudge for his jabbing, it's only fair.

"Where we going, Eddy boy? I didn't expect you to ask for me to come anywhere, to be honest." I ask him, he doesn't answer immediately though, instead he walks off, gesturing with a hand to follow him. I don't have much else to do, and it'll be nice to spend some time with him, so I follow after his foot steps. He doesn't speak up as we continue to walk, instead I pass the time by looking at the town area itself, as well as the inhabitants, most of them are either too focused on themselves to notice us, or doesn't care, but there's the minority few who side eye and glare. I resist the urge to cover up my head with my hood, as much as my fists shake as they stare, I try to focus on the walking itself, I wish I was just human, it'd be so much easier...

"We're here." Edward speaks as abruptly as he stops, barely managing to stop myself from running into him. I face where he's looking, the building itself is... mostly unremarkable, much like the houses around it, albeit a lot larger and box like. I raise an eyebrow, opening my mouth to ask him what's going on, but he quickly moves himself inside of the place, the door opening and closing without a peep from him. Alright, I guess I gotta follow him then.

The area inside of the building is mostly clear of other people, multiple doors opened wide with a scarce few guards filtering in and out of them in various states of uniform dress, their boots thudding against the floor. Each of them look different from another, with different glints and gleams behind their eyes and bodies, but all of them just human. I'm not sure why that's so disheartening, but at least Edwards around. Speaking of him, he's currently mid conversation with another guard, his back straight and voice is crisp and clear, the ornate markings in the other mans armour is similar to his Uncles, and he is wearing that over the top helmet, maybe this is this guard posts captain? I approach the two of them, giving who I assume is the captain a lazy salute.

"'Eyo, you're the captain of this place I'm guessing?" I ask the man, snickering to myself as Edward looks taken aback by the casual greeting, I feel his elbow dig into my rib cage, it can't stop the laughter though. The captain himself looks like he's either used to such greetings, or plainly doesn't care enough, eyes covered by his black hair and helmet, he still looks youngish though, clean shaven face and a lack of scars would do that to someone.

"Aye, you'd be right. I've heard a wee bit bout ya from Edward here, Lad, I'd no fecking clue what you're meant ta be otherwise." His voice is thickly laced with a very interesting accent, his breath has the hint of some heavy alcoholic scent latched to it too, but he seems stable on his feet, so he's not drunk, hopefully anyways. Thankfully he does seem very lax about the casualness, a far cry from Edwards stiff stance and less than sublte side eyeing.

"Well, I might know nothing about you, but it's an honour to meet another captain guard regardless." The mans grin is one full of mirth and amusement, reaching his arm around me and bringing me into him. I trip into him with a yelp, his arms squeezing around my skull and forcing my face into his chest plate, by god it's uncomfortable, and tapping at the mans arm to try to get him to let go proves fruitless.

"Gah, there ain't a need to be like that Laddy, erryone round here knows that I don't care bout that shite till someone else comes round." His voice is loud and boisterous, but very welcoming, even as he digs his knuckles into my skull. Oh god he's giving me a bloody noogie. I whine aloud and try my best to pull away from the laughing mans grip, finally he lets go though, I reach up and ruffle my messed up hair back into what feels like an acceptable mess, giving Edward a small jab into his ribs as he chuckles, rubbing at the sore spot on my head. "Gus's me name by the by, none o' this captain nonesense otherwise."

"Ich, glad ya say so Gus, still an honour to meet you. Why'd you bring me here though Eddy? You don't seem the type to wanna just chat in a barracks." I ask Edward, who then clears his throat before standing up straight, chest puffed out and hands behind his back. Why's he trying to look for formal here?

"I spoke to the Captain previously yesterday, I believe that it could be beneficial for you and the other guards present, as well as myself, to spar against each other with the guard standard practising swords available, to help keep the other on their toes and their skills sharp, it's not something that's done as often as I wish for it to happen, but I believe this to be an exceptional chance to learn for the others." I nod along with him as he speaks, I guess it makes sense, personally I think Eddy boy here just really likes to spar, but he does bring a good point. I shrug, I'm not one to argue with a friendly fight, buuut... I nudge my elbow into his sides, interrupting his prideful moment of glory with a teasing grin.

"Is it cause I beat you the first time we met? If you win in one of these I ain't gonna take you out on a date, for the record." His hands meet his face as he groans aloud, Gus himself guffawing as he does so. My ears twitch as I hear snickering from the other guards in the room, my grin turning into a more genuine smile, even as Edward removes his hands to reveal his flustered face, at least these people seem pretty nice.

"Edward you eejit, you didn't tell me bout that! You're bang on bout it being a good time to practise though, I'll be tellin the others that weren't ear wigging bout it, take the Lad here to the courtyard out tha back and we'll come out soon." Gus marches off, barking to the guards still present who in their haste to get their asses moving stumble over each other, running through the doorways. Gus's voice carries itself throughout the room, with enough volume that I'd reckon that those in the other rooms would be able to hear his commands. Edward beckons me to follow him with his hand, it's a short walk from the main room to the court yard, even as we have to push past other people.

The courtyard is generally a large empty dirt field, wooden pews up near the back hold up straw dummies, and further to the right stands some archery targets. The walls around the entrance door is lined with weapon racks, wooden mock weapons and iron ones alike, from swords to spears to flails, there's even a haldberd in there too, I don't think I've seen anyone use one of those. Despite the area being a training courtyard, it's a lot cleaner than I expected even though the floor is just dirt, it's free of stray cluttering, the only things left on the floor being rocks, placed in a circle.

"And now, we'll wait. They shouldn't be too long." I hear Edward say from behind me, the man leaning back against a wooden column. I mimic him and lean against the one next to me, eyes closing for a moment as the wind brushes over my face once more.

"So, how do you know Gus here? Friend of yours or something?" I ask him quizzically, I didn't expect him to have gotten out of the village very much other than doing guard duty jobs. Edwards silent for a few moments, as if he's just enjoying the windy air himself.

"Captain Gus is a friend of my fathers, they weren't extremely close by any stretch, but Father did speak of him highly for the moments he wished to speak of his past jobs, I haven't seen him myself very much before yesterday, it was nice to catch up with him I suppose." His lips twitch upwards as he speaks, thudding the back of his head against the pole. I snicker myself and stick a digit towards him.

"Awh, you've made a friend! Proud of ya Eddy boy." I verbally jab at him, snickering louder as he groans. The next while is spent in a friendly silence, which is disrupted by the sound of marching. My eyes and ears flickers up and towards the door, the bursting of it and the hurried line of guards catching me by surprise, yelping and back peddling away from the crowd. I overhear the snickering of Edward, flipping him off just as Gus finally steps from the building, his chest puffed up and armour gleaming in the sun, Edward saluting the man as he walks pass. He looks every bit of a captain that he is, minus his goofy ass grin, stepping between his guards who also salutes as he steps through them, turning around and addressing them when he reaches the front.

"Aright boyos, yous likely already know why you're 'ere, but just as a formality, we got some visitors from Dartwood here, including the previous captains son, and yous know how big of a deal he is." Edward rolls his eyes and sinks himself into the pole, the other guards snickering, I guess Edwards fathers a bit of a big deal. Also, Dartwood huh? At least I have a name for the place now. "And he has given the_ fantastic_ idea of you all sparring against each other to stay fresh, it'll be a great time, ain't expecting you all to fight, but it'll be a friendly spar, so don't go and tear each others heads off."

The guards give a final salute and a thunderous reply of approval, some of them choosing to head back inside, either to relax or go back to patrolling I'd imagine, others rushing to the racks and grabbing the dulled iron weapons laying around, rather than the wooden ones. I look towards Edward, he's already moved to grab his, so I follow after him. The hilt feels.. off in my hand, it feels smaller than what it looks like, the iron itself is smooth with the tip ending in a blunt point instead of a sharp one, and it's very dulled around the edges, but otherwise it looks like a very basic straight sword. I swing it around a little bit as I step away from the racks, it's light at least, but I can't imagine it leaving much of an impact, then again using sharp weapons would lead to injuries, and the wooden ones would feel hollow-hearted for an actual spar.

The guards crowd around the rock pit, Gus himself seems to be the ring leader of the group there, cheering on the two fighters in the pit. I decide to stand with them, alongside Edward and watch the brawl, the two guards seem to be evenly matched for the most part, the larger one having longer reach and strength to his blows while his comparatively smaller counterpart bobs and weaves away from the mans strikes, a colder more calculated look in his eye as he takes a small stab towards the mans chest, feinting backwards, a coy grin smears his face as his opponent steps back and attempts to block the non existent attack. The larger man 'tsks' aloud, his brow furrowed, barely revealed underneath his helmet, his body is tense as he rushes himself forward, lunging forward and swinging downwards. Out of the corner of the eye I see Edward shake his head, the smaller man dodges to the right as the sword hits the dirt, a cloud puffing up from the force of the strike itself, he raises his sword to the mans unprotected neck before he recovers, his smug face looking down on the defeated mans sneer. The crowd cheers and claps at the show as the two seperate, the larger man giving the other a reluctant handshake, the large one disappearing into the crowd while the other takes his sweet time to bow towards the audience, finally leaving the ring after a few moments longer. I look towards Edward, his face is a flat mask as he brews in his own musings, I nudge him with an elbow, his face reinvigorating with motion afterwards.

"So, what'd you think of the fight?" I ask him plainly, he seemed pretty interested in the fight, and was somewhat disappointed in the big dude.

"It was sloppy, especially at the end, against a lithe opponent, a guard shouldn't over extend so much for a strike when there's no certainty that they'd be hit by it, especially when he's shown that they have the knowledge to feint out an enemy." He seems very intent on examining and tearing at the dudes mistakes, though it did seem pretty obvious that the strike wasn't going to land, but I do nod along with him, I agree and don't have much to tack onto it.

"Why don't you get in the ring, Fuzz? Give the people a show." I don't really try to hide my surprised face at his suggestion, his face has a small smile on it.

"Eh? Me? Why don't you get your ass in there?" I counter back, his only answer is a shrug and continuing with that small smile. I weigh the sword in my hand, still not exactly used to it, but why do I got to lose?

"Stuff it, hey Gus! Can I get a round in?" I try my best to shout above the rumbling of the crowd, thankfully he seems to have heard me, his smile widening as he motions towards the ring.

"O' course Lad! Get in here." He shouts back, the crowd cheers as I walk forward, I can't help but feel energetic, like theres electricity in the air. I feel like I shoul dbe worried or scared with how many people, how many humans are watching, but my heart beats for the thrill of the fight rather than out of anxiety. I stretch my sword arm, rolling my shoulder around as the crowd cheers, a man finally stepping out into the ring. He's not large like the former fighter, though his shoulders are broad, his face is pale and young with a determined expression on it, wearing the typical guard armour as the rest of them. He holds his sword in two hands, the point directed forward towards my chest, I hold my own at my side and bend my knees, my spare hand held up away from my chest. Maybe I should get a shield if I'm gonna fight like this..

As if an unsung signal was raised, the man rushes forward, large lunches crossing the arena quickly and leads the fight with a swipe from the right. I raise my sword to block it, the flat of my blade pushes against my skin as it connects, this damn sword feels so off, but I push forward myself into the man, his body is broad but he seems unstable on his feet, he stumble backwards to recover. I rush forward once more, barging my chest into his while my arm loops around a leg, his plate armour is heavy but I lift him upwards and plant him onto his back. There's a small thud from beside me as his arms hit the dirt, trying his best to get back onto his two feet, but a sword tip to his neck forces his movements to stop, looking up to me and breathing heavily. The crowd roars, both with excitement and distaste, it was a pretty short fight, maybe they wanted it to last longer?

"My fucking money!" One man screams out, which is followed up by laughter from the people around him, arms linked around his neck as his face looks a fair bit miffed, his lips contorted into a frown, though it doesn't look too angry at least, Gus seems to have heard him too, judging from his howl of laughter. I feel my own lips twitch upwards, a sense of pride swelling in my chest. I pull my sword away from the man and reach down with a hand, he eyes it for a moment before gripping it, I lift him up and onto his feet. He doesn't look too hurt from the fall, his pale face lost its determined look, but he doesn't seem unhappy, he reaches down and grabs his sword and wanders off into the crowd, I guess that explains the thud. I follow suite, giving the crowd a wave and walking back towards Edward, nodding with a small smile on his face.

"So, what'd you think of that?" I ask him, matching his smile with my own. His face looks pensive for a few moments.

"I have no idea why you fight like that, but it worked in this case, it seems very dangerous, but it's effective and ends the fight quickly." I puff out my chest proudly as I grin, Edward responding in kind with a roll of his eyes. "I don't think I know any other who'd resort to such close physical measures, just be wary is all."

"Gah, I'll be fine, hopefully at least. Anyways, what's this about money? Were people bloody betting on me? Were you betting on me?" I poke at him with a finger as I stand next to him, another duo already in the ring to fight each other, Edward shrugs as a response.

"I'm not a betting man, it's never been a part of me." He says plainly. I guess that's fair, I don't think I'd be betting very soon either. It's nice to watch the sparring though, and with the cheers of the guards around me, it feels... almost homely, they don't care that I'm not human, it doesn't affect them, it's a welcome surprise. A soft smile falls on my face, it's very nice here, especially with Edward. I think we'll spend the next while watching, and laughing at the ones who lose bets, that seems fun. Looking at Edward out of the corner of my eye, his normally flat face does have a smile on it.

"Thanks for showing me here, Edward." I say to him as I continue to look, this fight's lasting a lot longer than the one I had that's for sure. He doesn't respond verbally, but I feel a friendly grip on my shoulder, and I can still see him smile. Thanks, Edward.

**Authors note: Truthfully, this chapter was meant to come out a while ago, but due to illness I took a few days break from writing, I'm more or less fixed up now though. Speaking of writing, I'm currently re-writing chapter 1 on the side, just whenever I feel like it. It's around 1/5th completed or so, but it's already better than the original. Stay safe, especially in these times **


	13. Chapter 13

Edward and I left the barracks a while ago, and since has been just slowly walking back to the Inn, my stomach does kind of want food after all, and something that isn't beef jerky is always welcome. The sun began setting long ago, half way its descent into the horizon, turns out we were in there for quite a while, watching the fights were enjoyable but god I stayed away from betting on them, it was tempting to do so, especially when Eddy was accurate on most of the fights, but we decided otherwise. Gus was, to my surprise, a key ringleader in the betting, maybe I should've seen it coming though, he's a very interesting captain, unprofessional and extremely welcoming. He gave us his well wishes as we left though, along with telling Edward to visit more often to catch up some more, giving him a noogie to mess with him before we scampered off.

"So Eddy, when are we meant to be leaving?" I ask him, smiling as the wind rushes over my face, it's oddly windy this afternoon, whatever signs on the surrounding buildings sway in the strong wind. I shiver and wrap my cloak around me, I tried to put my hood over before but it's blown over by the wind repeatedly, so it's a bust there, at least the cloak's warm enough, god bless the thickness of the thing, I'd have thought my fur would've been able to warm myself enough today but I guess not. Edward himself seems to be able to handle the cold well enough himself though.

"We leave early tomorrow morning, Gerome and Vector should be outside the town hall awaiting for us, I'd love to kick you awake but I don't believe the Innkeeper would give me a spare key, and we are not sharing a room." He sounds a lot more.. light hearted, or happier than I remember, even when he tries to be flat toned and stuff, I'd like to imagine that has something to do with me.

His smug and elated sneer looks down on me, caught in the act, his hand already on his hilt, I can imagine his disgusting delight cross over his helmet covered eyes.

..yeah, I'd like to think he's less disdainful of my existence, I guess I gotta thank his uncle for this job. The sound of fingers clicking knock me out of my thoughts, I shake my head and look upwards, Edward was the one trying to get my attention I guess

"You listening? You zoned out again, are you feeling okay?" His brows furrow as he tilts his head, he actually sounds concerned over me. I rub at my face and look to him, giving him a smile and a dismissive wave.

"Me? I'm feeling fine, just thinking is all" He rolls his eyes, elbow nudging my arm.

"Right, if you say so. Don't think too much or you'll hurt yourself." I stick my tongue out to him, rolling my eyes in return as he laughs to himself. I hum to myself, the only sounds around is our steps and the disrupting wind.

"..Hey, why did your uncle put us on this mission together? You didn't seem too excited over it, and I don't remember if I've asked you that before." I question him again. He doesn't respond immediately, instead he looks away and scratches at his chin.

"He found out about uh, initial meeting if you recall it, turns out he's quite close friends with Gerome, who heard about it later, and neither of them quite liked it. To be honest I didn't like having my leg scratched up, but it's no hard feelings. Needless to say, Uncle yelled at me for it before deciding to put us both on the job when we went to the Inn, to "teach me to better myself", his words." He seem looks kind of awkward as he mentions the first time we met, makes sense, it's not the best first meeting obviously.

"Hm, I guess that makes sense, you got a new friend out of it, so clearly your uncles a smart man," I flash him a grin before laughing, he himself rolling his eyes. I hum to myself, wait a second, didn't Gerome use cash to bribe the guard? "Have you ever patrolled around that area, though? Who even told you bout it? Cause I sure as hell wasn't meant to be there."

"Er, I was actually covering for another guard who was away that day, some related family issue I believe. I got a tip from a concerned citizen about a keidran, you, running around the sketchy parts of town." He replies, he looks a little bit confused at the question, but shrugs and looks away, continuing the walk back to the Inn, it has been a longish day after all, and if he wants my ass to get up early then it's best to have an early night. I nod myself and follow alongside him, I guess that makes some sense, I guess the snitch didn't know what I was, and given how close they are to the forrest wolf border, their worry is warranted. Turned out for the best thankfully.

A revolting scent disturbs my thoughts, my nose crinkling as I look upwards and around, covering my nose as I look for whatever the hell the smell's coming from. It's so sickening, I almost want to puke from it. I feel Edward gripping my shoulder as I lurch forward, covering my mouth as I feel my lungs heave from the foul-smelling odour, where the hell did it come from? Shouldn't I have smelled this sooner?

"Wha- Zeke? What's wrong? Are you sick?" His voice is filled with a concerned and on edge tone, I feel his arm wrap around my shoulders, gripping lightly as he hauls me off towards a wall, sliding myself down it into a sitting position. The smell refuses to subside or relent in its aggression, and with gritting teeth and a somersaulting stomach I look up towards Edward, feeling my face wince in pain and disgust.

"C-can't you fucking smell that? It smells like a mound of corp-" I feel a motion deep in my throat, an 'urk' barely leaving my mouth before I smother cover my mouth with my hands, swallowing down the bile, "Corpses, it smells like death, can't you smell any of it?"

His bewildered expression is the only response I get from him, I groan aloud and force myself to my feet, steadying myself on the wall and dragging myself to my feet. I feel my legs shake stubbornly despite the attempt to keep them still, my vision blurs as I try to look forward, but I continue to force myself to a standing position.

"I-I'll be fine, lets keep going." Even speaking feels like a chore, like there's a flame in my throat burning it down. Edward doesn't look remotely convinced, his face and eyes are smudged with worry and confusion.

"Zeke, you look terribly unwell, lets just go back to the Inn." His voice is firm and tense, even through my blured vision I can see his eyes darting up and down my body, his hand pressing against my forehead. I scoff and whap at his hand, giving him a crooked smile, I should follow his advice, and I have a solid thought on what's around that corner..

"Edward, I'll be fine to walk a little longer, but you can drag me back to the Inn as soon as I collapse again, okay?" I try to pursuade him with a throaty voice, and he looks torn for a moment before he pinches at the bridge of his nose.

"Stubborn furry bastard, fine, but if I get a whiff of you going off again I'll drag you kicking and screaming to the Inn." Is his demand, seems reasonable enough. I give him a thumbs up and a wincing smile, but I continue the walk along the path, Edward following close to my side with his arms tensed. It's comforting in a way, he'll catch me if I fall again. The smell hasn't faded by any sense, but it's definitely lessened in a way, or just dulled my senses, my normally pristine eyesight is still blurred and feels like its burning, as does my chest. The walk is tense, my ears flopping against the back of my neck as I lug my legs along the dirt road, god it's an effort, but I'll manage.

As we turn the corner though, my blurred sight is assaulted by bright lights, as is my ears by a cacophonous rush of triumphant yelling. It doesn't upset my stomach at least, but I feel a whine escape my throat as I cover my ears as best as I can, eyes squinting in the bright flickering of the torches lit up across the dirt, a gaggle of humans littering around the place, I think this is the town centre area? It's hard to tell, and rubbing at my eyes to remove the blur only helps a small amount.

"..huh, I didn't think that they'd be doing it here of all places." Edwards voice is low and unfeeling, what does he mean by that? The feeling in my lodged deep within my chest fills me with an uncomfortable chill, I truly hope it's not what I think it to be. My vision finally clears after a few more aggressive swipes with my gloved hands, I can see the moisture alongside the edge of the leather. Every nerve screams at me as I try to look up towards the clump of humans, but I force myself to look regardless. The humans are circled around those damned fucking cages from yesterday, there's more guards placed around too, I feel myself freeze, and breath hitch, the jittering of my nerves jumping around, I can't see whoever's being presented and sold into those **mongrels**, perhaps that's for the best. I feel Edwards hand grasp at my shoulder, squeezing slowly.

"Zeke? Is everything alright? Do you smell those animals or something? I guess they wouldn't smell the best." His voice seems so far away, as does the rest of him, even his grip feels numb. Animals, Edward? Am I an animal too? My teeth grits as a shaky hand lays on the hilt of my sword, clutching around it, I'm so so close, I can do it, the guards wouldn't suspect a damn thi-

"Zeke." Edwards cold and steely voice brings me back to the present, his hand is wrapped around my wrist. I turn around and look at his face, it's as cold as his voice, eyes are void of emotion and lip pursed intensely, though I can see him glaring over my face. Like a switch, I suddenly feel the rest of my body once again, my breaths of air is heavy and I can feel the fur around my neck and face standing on end, as if jolted with electricity, bile deep in my throat and chest, I can still feel the seething hate boil within my veins and smothering my thoughts. Perhaps its fortunate, but before I could move myself, I feel my legs buckle and give way, his arms managing to grab me under armpits and hoisting me up, linking my arm over his shoulder. My breath continues to shudder as I look towards him, his eyes giving way to some concern.

"..Edward, get me out, get me out of here, please." I beg the man, the racket in my skull forces my head to throb in pain. He doesn't respond beyond a nod, he tugs at my limp body once more before dragging most of my body weight away, I try my best to limp along with his strides at least. The rest of the walk, well, the dragging is a dead quiet beyond my raggedy breaths, Edward's face is set in determination and doesn't speak a word, it's difficult to keep my head up to even try to examine him for too long. It feels like it's been hours, at least I'm regaining feeling in my legs, little by little anyways, I can feel my toes and feet, upwards to my calves, I can walk that little bit better as Edward drags me around, it must be tough to carry me.

We finally arrive to the Inn, the front of it is cleared of anyone around thankfully, though even through the walls and windows I can hear the murmuring of the people inside it. We reach the steps at long last, I slip myself off of his shoulders and take a seat on them, leaning against the posts next to them in a lazily and grabbing at my legs, massaging up and down my calves to try to more feeling to them back. The throbbing in my skulls since left, as well as the disgusting stench of the poor keidran, gods, I've met keidrans before and they don't smell nearly as awful, is it because of how they're treated and kept in those cages to suffer and rot? I shake my head and grit my teeth, maybe the pain in my skull hasn't completely dissipated. My ears flicker as I hear him move in front of me, looking up and seeing him kneeling on a knee, his brow is furrowed again, eyes looking over my face with an impassive mask on his face.

"What the fuck was that Zeke?" He asks in a harsh whisper, his eyes flickering towards the Inns door before looking back towards me. I plant my face in my hands and rub myself down, trying my best to shake off the lingering sense of dread, why do I react like that to the slaves? The previous me sure as hell didn't give a toss about it.

"How can you stand it, Edward? How can you stand seeing them like that? It's inhumane, there's fucking children in there being sold to do who knows what to complete degenerates, evne if the adults are void of reasoning now, they shouldn't be forced to lose their lives because of humans. Slavery, it's such a disgusting trade, especially to them!" I can barely keep my own voice a whisper, still reaching a muffled screaming towards the end at him. His face drops the lifeless expression, lips twisting downwards as he looks bemused.

"What? Zeke, they're just keidran, they're animals, they're use as slaves for a reason." It's almost disgusting to hear the words from him, I feel my face turning into a grimace. His face.. he doesn't seem angry about them, his eyes has a hint of contempt sure, but he seems mostly confused. Does he actually think they don't have thoughts of their own?

"Animals? Animals!? Edward, they're people dammit, have you ever spoke to one? Sure, they cant speak Human, but they can learn it, they still have thoughts and feelings god dammit, why don't you know about that? You actually have memories of them, am I an animal, Eddy boy? I'm a furred bastard too, do you think I should be shackled with the rest of them?" Each word only fuels the anger in my chest further, the burning twisting and turning inside my chest. Edward only looks further confused, as well as torn, lips twisting further downwards into a fierce frown.

"You talked to them? Never mind that, of course you're not an animal, you're actually a human, kind of anyways. You're _different_ from them at least, so of course it's different." He responds, hands up to his chest and flailing lightly. He actually believes that? I can't see any sense of deceit in his voice, I can hear the malice when he speaks of the keidran, but he truly doesn't think of them as capable of thought? I 'tsk' to myself under my breath, trying my best to heave myself to my feet, Edwards hand tries to help to steady myself, but I reach up and whap his hand away.

"Don't touch me, I can handle myself just fine." I wrap my cloak around me and shoot him a scornful glare, turning away and limping myself up the stairs. At least I can walk the rest of the way, I think I still have the keys in my bag, too.

"Ze-" Edwards call is shut off as I shut the door behind me. I groan and rub my face as I continue to trudge my body through the floor, whoevers inside seems keenly focused on whatever their activities are. I look up towards the counter and groan once more, of course its the old fart, still in his dirty clothes from last night too. His equally dirty mug sneers as I approach him.

"Oi mutt, you didn't give back th-"

"Shut your trap, I'm sleeping another night, I'll pay you in the morning, understand?" I snap at the small man tersely, looking down on him. He seems confused, as well as shocked, but his opening and closing gap of a mouth is an appropriate enough answer to me. I stiffly take my business up the stairs and head towards the room, rummaging through my bag and forcing the door open with the key before shoving it back in my bag, closing the door in the meanwhile. I sigh to myself and toss most of my belongings astrew the floor near the bed, flopping myself on top of it. The bed smells of stale something, but at least it's warm. I've been groaning a lot recently, I can't really stop myself from doing it again as I run my hands over my face, sighing into them. You stupid, stupid, stupid man Edward. I'm glad he was able to pull me away from the mess, and I should thank him for that, but fuck he's dense...

I need to apologise to him tomorrow, or at least sock him in the arm and he can sock me back, that'll probably count, right? Ich, he's an asshole, but I don't think he's one for no reason. I asked him before why he hated keidran, didn't I? I don't think he wanted to talk about it then, nor would he want to talk about it now either, but maybe that's why he considers them below a human? It's still awful regardless, that much is inexcusable.

..Do I still consider him a friend? I think I do, I'd like to hope that the reason that he hates them is at least one that warrants it, could I convince him to not be like that? Deh, don't think that way Zeke, you can't just magically change how a person thinks out of the blue. He said I was different from them though, surely that means something? What a bloody mess. I run my hands through my hair and sigh again, resting my head atop the pillow, I'll just try to sleep.

Attempting to sleep tonight was a painful and mentally arduous task, plenty of time is spent twisting and turning in the bed, a longing hole on my chest is a cold reminder of the worry in my mind. Actually falling asleep is a kindness, but its constantly disrupted by an abrupt waking, growling and smothering my face with the pillow accomplishes little too. It feels like I've been in this damned bed for ages, slipping in and out of a semi-comfortable sleep into the cold real world. I finally grumble and sigh to myself, hopping out of the damned bed. I'll go outside to check to see if its morning or not, I'll make my way to the town hall church, thing, whatever it's officially called around here. I slip on my clothes and gather my belongings, slowly opening the door and taking a peek out. There's no one else around and my ears don't hear anything.

I take a slow and steady step out of the door, looking left and right before slipping out, closing the door with an equal slyness, locking it behind me with the key. I tip toe myself down the hall and stairs, making sure to try to avoid whatever creaking noise I can make, reaching the bottom of the stairs shortly. The first floor is void of customers, and there's a soft quiet atmosphere around here, a stark contrast compared to the rest of the day. I softly walk towards the counter, dropping off the key there, I won't be needing it now anyways. There's no one tending it either, I guess the old man went off somewhere, less problem dealing with him I suppose. I also place some silver on top of the keys too, not too sure if it's the required amount or not, but he didn't technically give me a price for the night, so he can deal with it. Not like I did much else around, I left the room in good shape too. I'm gonna miss the younger bartender though, he was cool, got a bit of a flat feeling from him, but at least he was politely nice rather than his old man.

I slip out the front door, the cool air washing over my skin, it's almost reinvigorating actually, though I still shiver in its chill, wrapping my cloak around me once again for the warmth. I look around the street as I walk down the steps, there's no one else around, no Edward either. I sigh to myself, letting go of a breathe I didn't realise I was holding, I'll deal with our little issue later this morning when we meet at the town hall. I look towards the sky, it's still dark, but the light seeps through it regardless, so I assume it's extremely early morning. Now that's something I wanted, I can probably beat Edward there and tease him bout it, that'll break the ice right?

I look around the street, scratching at my head. Where is it from here to the town hall again? I wrack my brain around for a bit, tapping at my temple. Oh! That's right, I gotta move to the right of the Inn when facing away from it, I'll just follow whatever's stuck in my head to make my way there. It's a cold and lonely walk, there's no miscellaneous sounds from and wildlife like the woods, there's no sounds of the citizens around here either, it's just very quiet and barren. It's almost unnerving, but it's not atypical given the current time. If I was a parent having to deal with kids at some ungodly hour, I'd be pretty damned pissed. At least it's not too windy to keep my hood over, that sure helps with the chill, and keeping my thoughts focused. I'm worried about how to talk to Edward, should I be confrontational? Emotional maybe? I don't think he'd like a swing at the arm straight up very much, if it'd work to begin, so there should be some context and well meaning behind that at least. I don't think either would work very well, he has his own problems and past, and it doesn't make him any less of a friend to me.

..Doesn't make him any less of a friend? Jesus, it sounds weird to ask myself that question, but I think it's important to do so, I do think I consider him a friend, his hatred for the keidran is a cause of something after all, I'll give him his chance. Hell, I gave those Magi Brothers a chance to explain themselves, and they nearly killed me beforehand. What was their names again? Zen and Nat? Something like that. I guess their objective makes sense, they were meant to kill those Templars, and I was working with them, doesn't that mean that they should've killed me too? I know I certainly did work with the Templars, without a doubt in my mind, so why did he decide to just let up when he could've kept pushing? I hum to myself as I continue to stamp across the dirt floor, I think I'm coming up to the town hall or town centre first, but I got time. Zen seemed... awfully protective of his brother, maybe he didn't want him to get hurt? I did toss him over a river after all. Maybe I'll run into them again in my own time, hopefully on better terms. God, I hope I don't run into them before we finish this job, especially with Edward, I don't wanna know how he'd react to them.

I reach the town centre, familiar wagons being loaded up with stock from lethargic guards, I can imagine their muttering and complaining about being up so early. I make my way towards them, I can't seem to find any of the others here, I'd have thought that Gerome would've been here first. There is one guard who seems content with with whatever work he's done, sipping at an opaque mug in his hands, I tap his shoulder plate to get his attention.

"Hey, is anyone else here yet?" I ask him, he hums in response and turns around, half lidded eyes lazily looking at me while he takes another chug of his mug. He slurps at the thing quite loudly before lowering it, blinking a few times. I stand there and wait for him to actually, well, reply, raising an eyebrow towards him. Does he actually realise I'm here?

"You're that Zeke person, right? You're here waaaay too early man, we're just loading up for Gerome and whoever the other guy is, no one else is here." His voice is a slow drawl, and he finishes his sentence with another slurp of his mug, a lazy smile on his face. I guess I am here a little bit early in the end, doesn't surprise me.

"Well, thanks for the help I guess. What are you drinking though?" I ask him again, my head tilting. He chugs at the damned cup again before answering.

"Morning coffee, haven't you had some before?" He replies with his own question. I blink, there's coffee here? I guess there is tea, but it's still coffee. We're both silent for a few moments longer, before he motions with his cup towards me. "Do you wanna take a swig? Don't get your spit in it and I don't really mind."

It's a surprising offer, but I do nod and take the cup from him, cupping it with my hands, its warm and pleasant because of it. Looking inside of it, there's not the brown milky colour I expected, but rather something closer to a black looking sludge. I feel my tongue stick out in disgust, blanching at the sight for a few seconds before raising the cup to my lips, taking a quick gulp from it. It runs down my throat and I feel instant regret from swallowing the damn thing, it tastes sour, vile and thick, my hands clench the sides of the cup containing the offending liquid. I feel my cheeks bloat with a barely suppressed cough and shove the thing back into the mans hands, putting my own on my knees and coughing out my lungs. Dear god that tasted rancid.

"Er, guess you aren't much of a coffee person then." The guard says, unhelpfully patting at my back as I continue to raggedly cough. It takes a while, but I finally manage to stop myself from losing the rest of my lungs. I take in multiple deep breaths before standing up straight, looking the guard in the eyes.

"No, I don't think I am, thank you though." I say flatly, the guard grinning and laughing to himself before taking another chug at the cursed mug, walking away to converse with other idling people. I blink once, then twice, looking down and flexing my hands, it did wake me up a fair bit, though I'm not sure if that's from the coffee itself or the choking. I spend the next while sitting around, there's not much to be done, and the guards seem to be finished with their job, although..

I look towards the town hall building, even in the dim morning light those stained glass windows seem rather pretty. I stand up and stretch before walking over to the main door, the guards give me a small look over before looking forwards once again, pushing the door and entering the hall. It's still as empty as last time I came in, though I can still see Levi at the foot of the stage, I can see his head already facing my direction as the doors close behind me.

"Son? I didn't expect to see you so early this morning, is there an issue?" His voice is croaky, and echoes throughout the hall. I make my way towards him, I feel a compulsion to ask him about what to do with Edward, but I'd like to think I have it in the bag, at least as a plan, and I have a more pressing question to ask.

"Father Levi, I need your help with something, something's on my mind." I reply to him, I try to keep my strides long and brisk as I move towards him, looking around the hall, double checking to see if there really isn't anyone else around, I have no idea who the emerald eyed lady is, but she seemed powerful from a political standpoint, there's no telling who she has her claws in, and I'd like to imagine Levi is a safe haven.

"Of course, Son, what is it? Your mind does seem rather preoccupied." I finally reach the elder, stopping dead in my tracks in front of him. I still check around, no one else is here, before looking him dead in the face.

"Father Levi, do you know any green eyed mayor? A female one specifically?" I finally ask him. His face is a blank slate, and I can imagine the gears running in his head, though he doesn't reply. "I had a dream, a memory Levi! I remembered a town, and I remembered her very well, do you know her? And why I would remember her?"

There's a longing feeling in my chest as I speak of her, too, were we close? Partners maybe? She seemed overly friendly in a flirtatious way in the memory, maybe that's who she is normally though? Levi himself stands still, like a statue, I can see his fist clench and his eyes squint. It's.. off putting to see it from a man of the cloth.

"Levi? Are you oka-" He reaches towards my shoulder, not quickly by any means, but in an hasty older figure type of way, and the grip on my shoulder is one that belies his old age too, its a tight and firm grip.

"Son, I do know of her, she is a very dangerous woman, as scheming as she is gorgeous, I dare not speak her name even here. Whatever memory you have of her is equally dangerous to remember too, whatever your amnesiac condition may be. I do not recommend looking for her, nor attempt to have her find you, do you understand Zeke?" His voice is a low and screeching whisper, it's off putting to hear it from the man. I finally remind myself to actually respond to him, though words fail me, I nod my head to him. He looks me in his eyes, as if looking into my soul with his clouded vision before he lets go of me, I can almost feel the imprint of his hand through my cloak.

"You've my apologies, Son, perhaps I reacted a bit violently there, but she is not one to be trifled with. Whatever connection you have to her is your own, and I don't mean to say that you should never remember them, but, surely you understand, correct?" He ends himself with an almost pleading tone, his eyes looking up to mine with a begging vision behind it. I nod to him once again, clasping my hand on his shoulder and squeezing lightly.

"I understand, Levi, I'm sorry if I've brought up any unsavoury memories of her myself, but it's still my memories. I'll try my best to keep myself safe if she's that dangerous, but thank you again."

The remainder of my time there is short lived, merely wishing farewells to each other before leaving the hall, stepping outside into the cold air once again. God, his reaction to her though, is she truly that dangerous? We seemed so close, was it a part of her manipulation? It's not as if that's beyond anyones reach around here, maybe I'm too hopeful to think that she was genuine with me, or past Zeke anyways. I feel like we react and think differently enough to separate us both.

A small cough catches my attention as I walk close to the wagons, and I swirl my head around, Edward stands in full plate armour, his helmet stuffed under his armpit. I squint lightly as I look into his eyes, he can't seem to match mine, instead he looks towards the ground. I turn around and cross my arms, an eyebrow raised.

"Zeke.." He looks almost choked up and confused to as what to say, scratching at the back of his neck. I roll my eyes and rub at the bridge of my nose, moving myself close to him and resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Edward, I think you're an asshole, but whatever reason you have to hate them, as much as I dislike it myself, I can't hate you for it, know what I mean?" He breaths a sigh of relief, a small smile on his face as he looks upwards finally. I pull my hand away from him and hold it between us. "So, shake and friends then?"

Given by his clasp of his hand in mine as well as his rolling eyes, I think he accepts it. I smile wide and bring him in, wrapping my spare arm around his back and giving him a small hug, his little yelp of surprise is a funny one, but he responds in kind.

"Next time you compare me to a keidran though, I'm gonna get you drunk enough to bed one." His sound of complete revulsion, him jumping away with a pale and disgusted face is hysterical, and laughing at him is cathartic enough. I feel a warmth in my chest, smothering away the chill of the morn.


	14. Chapter 14

We left the town soon afterwards, it's still cold as hell around here for whatever reason, but at least I feel warm inside. I'm not sure how long I was in the town hall, but it was long enough for Gerome and Vector to get their asses in gear and ready to go, Vector being his normal silent self with Gerome being needlessly loud, it's interesting to wonder how they're so friendly with each other, maybe they know each other from ages ago? I'd ask them, but it's not quite my place. Forest trees on either side of us all as Edward and I escorting the two of them to their next destination, I think it's that coastal town? Maybe I should consult the map when I get the time, it sounds important enough to maybe be labelled on the thing. It's no different from the last time we've marched between towns, but the smell of the woods and the sound of the wildlife is welcoming.

"Oy young Zeke, have a good time in town?" I hear Gerome call out to me from above, looking upwards to the man, he still has that grin on his face. I wonder, does he ever let it slip? I know he has to some times, but I doubt a man can keep such a smile on for so long without it at least starting to hurt.

"The town? I didn't have too bad of a time there, Father Levi is a surprisingly welcoming person, and it was nice to be somewhere different for once, gotta start filling in the gaps with something after all." I reply to the man, masking my gritting teeth with a grin towards him, I'm not gonna tell him bout the thing with Edward, or that noble, that's a no go. Geromes smile only widens as he looks back towards the road, his hands tightening on the reins.

"Father Levi is quite the man, da, been alive a very long time, helped Gerome plenty when was younger!" I'm not sure how, but I'd have managed to forget that Gerome has such a strong accent, I guess a lots been on my mind, and it's not like I know anyone else from the north. I hear Vector grunt and whip his reins, the horses kicking up and keeping pace with Geromes wagon, I'm not surprised that he wants to talk. Edward remains silent and continues to chug along with the march, he's likely trying to keep a keep ear out for whatever's around to risk the merchants. Hm, maybe I should follow his example, I do have better ears after all, and I recall saying that I'd try to pay more attention.

I breath in and focus my mind, focus on the sound Zeke, focus on the sound around us, keep your legs moving and close your eyes, try not to run into anything. I hear the birds chirping, their twittering is a predominant sound throughout the trees and the woods. I can hear the horses legs pound against the dirt, carrying the squeaking wagons as their contents grind against each other. It's strange to pay so much attention to just listening, it's not quite zen, but I can feel myself being pulled into it, maybe I should do this more often..

There's a rustling in the trees, a small hitch of a subdued breath, it's not quite close to us, but I can definitely hear it. My eyes flicker open, are we being watched? I hang back as the wagon passes in front of me, quickly catching up and chasing after Edward, moving next to him, wrapping an arm around his neck and pulling his ear close to me. He lets out a confused yelp as I do so, I can see the frown on his face as I show off a faux smile.

"We're being watched, one in the trees, don't know if there's any one else, pretend I told you a joke so they don't realise we're aware." I whisper hastily to him, I don't think keidran can read lips, but I try to keep them apart to mask what I'm saying. His frown turns to a determined and understanding line, laughing awkwardly. I snicker myself, god that's awful, but I don't think whoever's watching us would know the difference. I quickly move myself back to my original post, keeping a closer ear on the trees as we walk. If its a keidran, I hope it ends up well, who else could it be though? I don't think there'd be other guards after us, and god forbid there's a Templar troupe in the trees for whatever reason, that just seems unreasonable.

I squint my eyes and look into the canopy, I can't focus myself enough to hear the breaths again, but I know I heard it, and I know they're out there. The marching has a tense feeling in the air, at least to myself, and I feel like Edward would be feeling the same. The merchants wouldn't have an idea themselves, neither of us have told them just yet. I haven't felt anything else that's unnerving, even when focusing as much, maybe it was just a one off, but it's best to be prepared for the worst after all.

It's difficult to tell how long we've been walking, the canopy of the tree leaves above us cover the sky from our angle, but we can still see the seeping of the sun through whatever opening's present, but given how the light is shining almost straight down at a very acute angle, I'd judge it to be either just before or just after midday. The road itself hasn't been void of travellers though, from the more rugged individuals to the skittish type, so it hasn't been too dull. Granted they stayed out of our way, it was nice to see other life on these roads, not that the three around isn't acceptable company.

..Except maybe Vector, dude always looks like he wants to be anywhere but here and is about as sociable as a brick wall. I wonder, do they use brick much here? I've seen dirt and wood houses, but not too much brick, even the barracks were made of wood. I rub my face, pinching between my nose, I have seen brick before actually, in that one memory, the gate was made of brick and metal, and the town hall was made of brick! I guess it's a very small detail, and it's not used much, but I guess I know what to look for if I ever try to find out about past Zeke. Would that be a smart idea, though? Levi seemed so scared about the emerald eye lady, does she have her hooks in that many things?

The wagons stop suddenly, the horses neighing as they rear upwards, their hooves stomping up thick dust clouds in front of us. I shake my head out of my thoughts, I really need to stop losing my attention on random things, my hand already to my sword hilt as I step forward, looking upwards to Gerome. He seems tense, his grin is unusually clenched as well as his hands. The hell's going on?

In front of us stands a singular man upon a large brown horse, approaching us slowly. The man has a tall and broad build, short blonde hair and same coloured goatee hangs from his chin. His brown eyes looks over the lot of us before he hops off of his horse, black and red clothing rippling over his frame as he does so. On those clothes seems to be metal plates on his shoulders, as well gauntlets covering from his forearms to his hands. The clothes seem to be a mix of robe and plated armour, as if sown together himself, or with the help of an extremely talented tailor. He has a very small, although distinct black tattoo upon the right side of his cheek, from his side burn to just below his eye, are they meant to be flower roots or something?

My hand only tightens its hold on my hilt as he continues to approach us, unspeaking, but with his darting eyes looking over us, his face set in stone. I hear more footsteps, and looking over, I can see Edward walking forwards himself to meet the man. I raise an eyebrow and feel my ears twitch. Does Edward know this man? Suddenly, the man grins wide, wrapping his arms around Edwards body and lifting him in the air almost effortlessly, even despite his plate armour. His sudden tone shift doesn't really match how he looks, nor how he was acting before hand. I do hear Edwards surprised 'urk' from over here though, barely suppressing a small snicker.

"Edward! I haven't heard from you in ages, how you been little buddy? Still following in your fathers footsteps?" His tone is jovial, and it sounds as if he's reconnecting with an old friend. He sets Edward down and ruffles at his hair, I approach closer to the two and smile politely, a friend of Edwards is a friend of mine. This time, I fail to cover my snicker as I see the proud man pouting, ignoring the glare he sends my way.

"I've been quite fine myself, and it's a pleasure to see you again too Roderick. I've risen higher if that's what you really want to know, and I'd like to think he's proud of me. Uncles been helping me too." Edwards replies to him, rubbing at his ribs through his armour and wincing. I guess he squeezed a bit too hard. "It's a surprise to see you here, on another mission from the Templars?"

"Feh, they're killing me little Ed, I've been all over like a lapdog doing odd jobs for them, trying to find someone. It's a pain that's for sure." He grimaces slightly at the mention of his mission, and I can see a paper roll sticking out from his belt, I guess that's a message he received from them. Speaking of them, the word Templar blares alarms in my skull, my arms turning cold at the mention of them. Oh dear god, does he know who I am? I don't want anything dropped on me, please don't recognise me.

"So, who's your friend here? Don't think I've seen you on a job with anyone in a long time." The man, Roderick, follows up. I flick my sight towards the man, gulping quietly as he looks over me with a close eye, an eyebrow raised. "A Basitin too, huh? Can't say I've seen many of you before, aren't you meant to be tiny?"

Again with the 'oh you're bigger than normal' thing, are Basitins really that small? I roll my eyes at the man, relaxing my posture slightly and looking back at him.

"I ate my greens when I was a kid, what can I say. And I'm Edwards new best friend, we've simply loved each others company." I give the mentioned man a smirk as I wrap my arm around him, bringing him into a hug while I give Roderick a thumbs up. I'd be sorry for dragging him under the bus to save my skin, but feeling his glare into my head makes my smirk a bit of a more genuine smile, a half-suppressed laugh escaping my mouth. Roderick seems to accept the answer, laughing aloud and reaching over, giving my head a needless ruffling this time around. I stick out my tongue to him and let Edward go, choosing instead to push my hair back in place, even as their laughter surrounds me.

"Hah! You're a bit of a mouthy one too, better than the sombre and serious folks I've seen." His voice is one of approval, so I guess I scored response wise. Roderick seems like a nice individual though, apparently friends of Edwards father due to his standing as a Templar. I wonder if they've worked together on missions before. The merchants are oddly silent, though, I expect it from Vector, but not Gerome, so what's going on there?

"So, you're all off to Wreathwood huh? Tell my lil bro I said hello in my steed, I think you remember Eric, right Ed? Anyways, I best be off, Templars would have my head if I took too long after all." He finishes, I give him a small wave as I turn to move back to my post. I guess that's it then? I expected a meeting with a Templar to go so much worse, but I guess this is preferred. I'm stopped mid stride by a grip on my shoulder, twisting my head to face Roderick. His look is a stony one, and out of the side of my eye I can see Edwards confused face.

"You're Zeke, right? Have we met before, by any chance?" His voice is low, his grip tightening after he asks the question, his face a stoney flatness. I feel the heat flee from my body as I'm filled with a sudden freeze, mind going blank for a second. Oh my god, does he recognise me? Shit, Zeke you weren't the nicest Templar, you probably stabbed one of his friends for a personal gain, think you dumb ass.

"Only in your dreams, if that's what you're asking~" I give the man duel finger guns as well as a wink, trying my best to suppress the encroaching anxiousness in my chest. I hear Gerome burst out with laughter, and I can see out Edward drive his hand into his face, repeatedly. Roderick only looks, extremely confused at my choice of words, but he shrugs and lets go of me, his face dropping to a more casual one.

"Er, my bad. You just look similar to another Basitin I met, same height and everything too, you just look that little different, sorry to bother ya." And with that, he waves me off and turns away, moving towards his horse. I stand there, the gears in my head turning, can I try to get some info outta him?

"Hey, I might've met him before, what's he look like?" I question to the man, he seems surprised as he turns around, a finger wrapping around his goatee.

"A lot like you, actually, not that many of you look too different to begin with, you're a little bit bulkier than him, different eye colours too, but that's about it. I really gotta go though, Templars are a pain in the ass." He makes his way to his horse and hoists himself on top of it, and with a whip of the reins, he darts off down a dirt path. I hum to myself, scratching at my cheek in thought. Maybe he didn't know me, then? I guess he might've seen a similar Basitin instead, it's a low chance and extremely coincidental, but still possible.

"Zeke? Everything okay? You ready to go?" Edwards voice jolts me from my thoughts, turning to him and giving him a nod.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Lets get going."

The next while is spent in silence, marching to an invisible beat towards Wreathwood, the sun setting further and further, and soon enough the shadows surrounded us, I really should spend some time paying attention to our surroundings, but my mind's too preoccupied with our little run in with Roderick. It was.. certainly an experience meeting him, he definitely seemed strong enough to be a powerful Templar, at least physically, and he would have some magical aptitude, but he came off as surprisingly lax given how he first came off. He mentioned a brother, too, Eric I think? I wonder how it'd be to be a relative of a Templar, would you get benefits by affiliation with them? So many questions, so little answers, and most of those questions are small time questions too.

"We'll stop here for the night, same shift as before, if you're fine with it Zeke. I'll still be awake for a while, but you two should get some sleep as soon as possible." Edward has his little commander voice turned on, gesturing towards the merchants towards the end. Neither really say anything in response, only stopping at the side of the road, at least where a good amount of free space is. Vectors immediately onto feeding and tending to the horses, while Gerome does.. whatever he does, he hasn't really spoken or reacted much since the meeting with Roderick. I give Edward a small nod as my own reply to him, already throwing my bag down and rummaging through the thing. My hand brushes over that journal for a second before grapping at a ration, pulling it out and tearing into it. Beef jerky tastes awful, but at least it's something.

"Sho, what're we doing for the night Eddy?" I ask him, looking up and munching down the dry meat stick. He looks around the woods, his eyes squinting and peering at the upper treeline specifically.

"Have you heard anything else?" He asks in a low whisper, I can barely hear it even with my ears,. I guess he wants to keep it a secret from Gerome and Vector, maybe to not worry them? I shrug and gulp down the final remains of the stick, standing up and dusting my leather gloves off.

"Nupe, not that I've heard of, might've just been the lone one looking over us. Or a scout, either way, we should be rather careful tonight just in case. Should we set up a campfire or something to stay warm? It's been rather chilly the past few nights." I offer the idea as I turn towards the wagons, jogging up and tossing my bag into the back of one, I think it's Geromes? Not sure, I also probably should've done that ages ago, but if Edward can lug around himself in plate armour then I can do the same with a tiny bag.

"If you think it reasonable to, though it might bring more attention to us. If you want to go around and grab the wood anyways, ask someone for an axe so you don't dull your own blade for it." I hear him walk past, giving me a pat on the back for comfort before waltzing off, following a mentally planned path of.. patrolling I think? He throws his helmet atop his head as he does so, though I can imagine his eyes darting up towards the canopy. I shrug and walk off myself, I'll get some sticks and stones to start a fire I suppose.

I hum to myself, sitting cross legged in front of the small stone pit, the sticks laying on top of each other in a criss crossed fashion. It took a while, but I got the sticks, and the stones, but I've kind of stumped myself. How, how do I actually light this on fire?

"I feel like you've missed a vital part of actually starting up a fire." I hear Edward snicker behind me, I can imagine the bastards smug grin. I don't give the man the privilege of seeing my pouting mug, though he does roar of laughter as I flip him off. I huff and lean into my spare hand, gazing into the not-on-fire pit. I snap my fingers at the thing, again and again.

"Bam, crack, sizzle, go on fire, combust you damned bundle of sticks." I grumble, none of my attempts to magically light the thing on fire manages to do anything.

"What are you trying to do?" He asks from behind me, I can hear him walking, and I can feel him plant his ass next to me.

"I'm trying to magic it on fire, obviously, my magical capabilities are somewhat lacking, defeated by the law of nature, and Basitin law too I guess." I huff dramatically, laying my hands in my lap. Edward laughs lightly next to me, he leans over towards the bundle of sticks, fiddling with something between his hands. I tilt my head, I can't exactly see anything from this angle, but I can hear clacking, what's he doing? Suddenly, the swell of warmth fills the area, fighting against the oncoming cold of the night, a bright blaze appearing in front of us. I look towards Edward as he sits back down, a smug grin on his face as he turns to look at me in return, the silence is almost awkward as I continue to glare at the man.

"..How long were you able to do that?"

"I always keep some flint and steel on myself when I'm on guard duty, don't you?"

"God I hate you, I hope you get burnt next time." His snickering turns into full blown laughs, sticking out my tongue to him, but I do return my attention to and enjoy the warmth of the fire. The light and the sounds of Edward and the fire doesn't mask the noise behind us, turning around to see Gerome approaching us, his grin seems to have returned to his face, and Vector follows closely behind the man,

"Oy, that is some good warmth! Am used to cold from north, but some fire does no harm, da?" He even sounds like he's returned to normal, too, a cheery expression and tone coming from the man as he and his partner sits opposite to us. Vector doesn't add anything to the conversation, but he does raise his hand towards the fire, and a small smile does appear on his face, it's about as much as I expected from the man. Idle chit chat fills the next while to pass the time, in between the silence and general enjoyment of the warmth of course, granted the fire will die off soon enough, I'm not throwing any more wood inside of it after all, but it's a good comfort for now. It's jarring to see Gerome so loud again, though, maybe he was equally worried about the Templar prying and finding out his dirty secrets, at least he knows his. Given that he ah, dabbles in less than legal things, I guess that's understandable. Wait, didn't he steal something from the Templars in one case? Some blue glowing rock? Yeah, that'd probably be it, he's a rather easy distinguishable man after all, so that wouldn't help.

The fire dies down, the smouldering of the sticks in the pit can't really sustain it for much longer, Gerome and Vector left to rest a while ago, Edward and I has just been sitting around and wasting time, not speaking of anything specific, but just enjoying each others company. It's odd being around the man, for someone that hates non-humans he's awfully accepting of myself. Not that I'm complaining, he's pleasant to be around when he's not a pain in the ass.

"Hey Zeke, do you wanna sleep first? I can always take first watch." Edward offers, speak of the devil and he shall appear. I hum to myself, thinking it over. Why would he even be offering it? Maybe he prefers first watch?

"If you want to, no stress to me either way. Why the offer though Eddy boy?" I counter reply to the man, giving him a sly grin as I rest my head on a hand.

"An offers an offer, Fuzz, there's nothing wrong with that is there?" He rolls his eyes and stands up, I can't imagine it's comfortable to sit in plate armour, and I can hear his spine cracking as he stretches. I shrug and stand up myself.

"I suppose not, just seems odd is all. But hey, I'll take it. I'll see you in the morning then Edward." I reach out with a hand, shaking it in front of him slightly as I raise an eyebrow. He raises his hand and places it in mine, jokes on him though, I yank him closer to myself and wrap my other arm around him, a brotherly friendly kind of hug as I pat at his back with some friendly force behind it. He seems merely accepting of his face, rolling his eyes again as I pull away from him. I start to turn, but my ears twitch, and I look towards the woods behind Edward. A sense of deep seated wrongness sits in my chest, I squint my eyes as I look deeper into the darkened woods, such a night is a natural masking after all, and I can't deny the feeling in my chest.

"Edward, I think there's someone arou-" I cut my sentence short as my pulse rises towards the end of it, a small 'thwip' rackets through my ears and skull as I twist around sharply, an arm raised in reaction. I see a thin brown blur fly through the air towards me, I feel the blood in my veins race faster and faster, everything seems so slow. I feel the tip of it glide across the side of my gloves, but I snatch at its shaft, stopping the thing dead in its tracks. My breathe is heavy as I hold the thing in front of me, raising it upwards to my eye. It's a thin but sturdy looking stick, and at the end of it is an iron tip in the shape of a spearhead, of which is dripping with some sort of thick oozing liquid. This is an arrow, and arrow that was shot at me. I drop the thing to the floor, looking behind myself as I draw my sword, Edwards already responded to the potential threat, his sword raised in front of him and pushing me behind, using his body as a shield. I face myself towards the woods as well, sword drawn and held in front of myself, I'll use the blade as a shield this time around, I stopped it once and I'll stop it again. I hear another 'thwip' through the air, as well as the sound of a metal dink, another arrow fired, only to bounce off of Edwards chest piece.

A low growl fills the air, and the blur of a figure dropping in front of us puts me on edge, I hold my sword tighter and closer to my chest. He stands to his full height, a wolf keidran with a feral snarl on his face, his deep brown fur is short and course, wearing little other than a loincloth, his eyes are filled with a cruel and fierce rage. He opens his maw, barking out something that I can't really understand, but his tone seems to be frustrated and enraged, fits the rest of his look truthfully, a finger pointed towards us in an accusative manner. The quiver on his back has little arrows left, and he doesn't seem to wish to nock another arrow onto his bow.

"Listen here you mutt, if you back off, I'll make sure I won't tear you apart." Edward growls back to the wolf, he doesn't seem to hold back the seething hatred in his voice, and the sword tip pointed towards the mans chest really drives the point home, even if the keidran can't' understand him. The wolf continues to bark aggressively at us both, his hands clenching in frustration and anger.

"Hey! We don't mean trouble, we'll be on our way in the morning, do you understand us? We don't mean any harm, I promise!" I call out to the man, I try to keep a level and cool voice, attempting to sound like a mediator of sorts. Although my pulse is still racing at the attack, I try to calm and soothe myself down to relax a light bit. As I say my bit, there's little other motions, the heaving and ragged breathing of Edward being the loudest noise, and the trembling in the tip of his sword is noticeable, but the wolf makes no other movements or sounds either, he continues to glare at the both of us. The air is tense and stagnant, the wolf doesn't want to back down, and Edward sure as hell isn't.

"Edward, let's not do anything too hasty, we don't know everything, and we should try to do no harm to him." I whisper to him, and the sudden twist of his head surprises me, I didn't expect him to be able to hear me to be frank, I did expect the confused and shocked expression though.

"Do no ha- Zeke_ he shot you_, what do you mean do no harm?" He borderline screams back at me, before returning his attention towards the Keidran. The wolfs glare has at least lowered in intensity, though he still seems furious. I have an idea, a crazy stupid idea, but an idea nonetheless. I sheathe my sword and nudge my way past Edward, raising a finger to my lips to shush his inevitable scorn, and continue to make my way towards the wolf. I keep my hands raised as I approach him, and while he does take a step backwards, he doesn't move any further. I continue to walk slowly towards him, stopping a few feet away with my hands still raised to my chest, he still doesn't pull out another arrow, and his glare turns from detest to distrust, but it's an improvement. I give the man a reassuring smile, and a small bow, surely they'd understand that right? Given by his more relaxed posture, I'd say it was at least a small success. I smile wider and turn to face Edward, giving him a thumbs up, he seems beyond bewildered, which only makes me chuckle that tiny bit.

"See? You should trust me with this a bit more, I'm a great people person, and I get that you aren't but come on Eddy boy!" I rag at the man with a further increasing grin, and while he does still seem overly concerned, he does lower the tip of his blade. He doesn't sheathe it, but its progress! I turn to face the wolf, giving a polite smile to him.

"Now, to say it again, I am sorry about all that, we'll be on our way soon, we're just resting for the night. Surely you understand that right, mister..?" I trail myself off on a question, though the wolf continues to look at me with emotionless eyes. I deflate slightly, I guess he doesn't really understand human, but at least he gets what I'm saying in a non verbal way, right?

"Right, I guess you really don't speak human, but we truly mean no harm here! My friend's just a little jittery is all." He's still silent even as I prattle on to him, he doesn't even say anything in his natural tongue. It's quite awkward in all honesty, and I feel my cheeks flare up slightly, am I making a fool of myself?

"Zeke, just get back here, I don't like you near it." Edward scolds from afar, turning my head to wave him off. I see his continued annoyed frown, and I give a smirk to the man. I open my mouth to tease the man again, but I feel myself freeze once more. Another 'thwip' flies through the air, and I feel a firey pain flare up from my leg. I hold back a muffled grunt of pain as I fall to a knee, it came from the sides, and I can see there's an arrow identical to the one I pulled out of the air lodged into my leg. I grunt and grit my teeth, god that's fucking painful, I don't think I should yank it out. I hear Edward let out a distraught yell, and I look up to the keidran in front of me.

A notched arrow is the only face I can see, I feel my eyesight zone in on the tip of the thing, the same liquid oozing and slowly dripping off of the tip and onto the dirt beneath us, the visage of the man behind it is blurred. My hearts pounding in my chest and skull.

Oh dear god, please don't let me meet Death again so soon

**Authors note: I'm surprised I've managed to push this chapter out so soon after the last, I've been feeling oddly energetic about this story for whatever reason, and I won't waste it. I do apologise if there's a small decrease in quality though, haste could leave some mistakes left after all. **

**The Emerald Lady**

**Gender: Female**

**Age: ?**

**Class: ?**

**Species: Human**

**Language: Human**

**Personality: An odd figure from Zekes past, they seemed to be close, but those who know of her are wary of her reach. Her beauty is only matched by her ruthlessness, especially to those who harm her favourites.**

**21/04/2020 EDIT: On a side note thats only just came to mind, while writing chapter 15, Ive noticed that Ive changed the way how I write a fair bit, does anyone have an issue with that? Sudden shifts in how someone writes can be jarring to some is all**


	15. Chapter 15

The world feels so cold, any other sense of feeling is fleeting other than the shooting throbbing fire of my leg, the oozing droplet of, what I presume to be, a type of poison falls off of the arrow head, it's onyx inkiness shining even within the midnight darkness. The flare of pain in my leg brings it's grim reminder of itself in my god damn calf back to the forefront of my skull, through even the chill of my blood. You dumb naive fucker, did you really expect everything to be hunky dory even after that? That's not how this world works, that's not how your world worked either. I grit my teeth, looking behind the focused arrow tip and into the blurry eyes of the betraying animal, I won't die here, not again, and I certainly won't die to the likes of you of all things.

I clench my teeth with a desperate need to push through the fiery pain in my leg, dragging myself upwards with the help of the still useful one. I hold up my hand and grasp at the arrow head, cutting through my glove with its sides as the muscles in my leg screeches, I can feel my muscles tear at itself to push the rest of my body forward, throwing myself at the mutt with whatever strength I can muster, the pulsing pain in my skull turns into a throbbing headache while my blood boils, the keidran lets out a surprised yelp as I push him against the ground, I can still see the surprise and the fear in his eyes, almost like a glowing feature of him. I use my spare hand, the one that currently doesn't have an poisoned arrow wrapped around it, and bring it down against his face, his maw twisting to the side with a sickening 'crack', his eyes squeezing itself shut as an animalistic scream wrenches from his throat. There's another 'thwip' in the air, and I feel my shoulder move from the force of the shot, but I can't feel anything beyond that, the boiling of my veins and the adrenaline numbing the rest of my sensations. I raise my fist, bringing it down on the mutts face again and again, I feel so god damn numb to the rest of the world, though I can faintly hear the clankering of steel from behind myself, as well as further commotion. I feel so drained after another swing, I lost count, but looking down on the poor soul, his face is a battered and bloody mess, his breathing is shallow and face unmoving while my breath is left ragged, heavy on my chest and throat, and there's a pang in my own soul. I raise my finally unclenched and bloody hands to my chest, my left is lathered in my own blood from holding that damned arrow head, and the right is smattered with the poor keidrans blood. I blink away the rage filled blur filling my vision, I can taste the bile in my throat as tears tinge my eyes, I can't control my jaws gaping and closing.

I did tha- I did this, I beat this poor mans face into a disgusting bloody mess, oh my god. I finally drag myself away from his barely moving body, I can't even feel the pain in my leg any more. I shouldn't have done that, do no harm my ass, you hypocritical bastard! I feel something or someone wrap their hands around the pits of my arms, I can't really fight back against them dragging me away, though they try to care enough to not tear at the arrow still jutting out of my leg. I loll my head backwards and look up, the blonde rag of hair means that it's Edward dragging me, figured so, he's pretty good at doing that. His head twists and barks out orders, the commotion is a dull noise to my ears, looking back to me. His eyes is wide and panicked, a worried fear brushing over his face. I give him a strained smile, the attempt to comfort him in whatever way I can does little. I close my eyes, deep breaths Zeke, in and out, you can pull through some arrows hopefully, the worrying part of it all is the poison that coated the tips after all.

I feel my body lift off of the ground, has Edward dragged me into a wagon? The shuddering of the wood surrounding us leans towards that being a yes, it feels weird to be in the thing when it's moving, among all of the cargo and stocks. Edward leans down face level again, his hands cupping and slapping a little roughly at my cheeks. I can feel that at least, but it feels so dull and muted. Is that from the poison, or the possible shock thats running through my body?

"Zeke, Zeke you can not fall asleep right now, whatever you do, that poison will finish you off, keep your damned eyes open." Edwards voice is soft and dull on my ears, a stark contrast from his frenzied and worried face. I grunt and force myself into a sitting position, pulling my head away from him and shaking it myself. Much to my dismay, I feel the arrow lodged into my leg once more.

"E-edward, I'll be fine, I ain't gonna die to a dirty trick like that." I reply to the worried man, I try to twitch and move my left hand, hissing in pain as I attempt to do so. That's a bust then, can't move that either. I can move my right hand at least, why can't I feel the arrow in my back? I reach around and tug at the shaft of the arrow, I can't feel it pulling in anything.

"Zeke, you really should-" I ignore Edwards protests and proceed to rip the rest of the arrow out, there isn't any pain, and I hold it up in front of me to examine the thing. There's no blood either, but it was lodged pretty deep in my back. I hum to myself and hastily undo my cloak, laying it on my legs, feeling up the area where my back would've been. The thick under woven part of it has a slit, that'd have come from the arrow head I'd bet. So my cloak took the entire brunt of the arrow shot, thanks Anna. The forceful gallop of the horses and creaking of the wagon are the only things that cover the sour and tense silence between Edward and I, I lay the cloak over my chest as a makeshift blanket to cover my chest.

"..I fucked up, didn't I Eddy?" I ask him weakly, giving him an equally weak smile. He sighs sadly and lays his head against the wooden wall, a faint thunk sound coming from him.

"Yeah, you kind of did, what were you thinking? Those things are not nice people, I don't know how the hell you managed to find a friendly one, but you can't try to pacify everyone you see." I flinch at his voice, the mans got a point, and I can't exactly refute it. I sigh and follow in his steed, banging the back of my head against the wall and resting it there.

"I know, I know. I truly thought that we'd get outta that situation without any blood being shed though."

"And it was incredibly naive to think so, you dolt."

"Pfeh, I gave it my best shot.. What happened on your end though? After I uh, got shot." I finally ask the man after the small back and forth between us, I really did mess up, and I could've lost my life cause of it. He's silent for a moment.

"After you threw yourself at the wolf, I tried my best to run after the other one. He fled before I could get my hands on him. The merchants were already roused from the noise, so I told them to get the horses ready to leave after I dragged your sorry ass in here." He explains, at least he seems to have calmed down somewhat, though his uneasy frown does bring a painful pang to my chest. The wagon is silent for a while longer, I can move my feet just fine, but I don't feel like I should be moving the rest of my leg any time soon, and ripping out the arrow could be dangerous within itself. I have no idea how to work around an arrow wound, I can't imagine a situation where that'd be needed from back home.

"Do you think he's going to be alright?" I finally pipe up, Edward looking up with a confused face.

"He? Who's he?" He responds with a puzzled tone of voice, his brow furrowing.

"The keidran of course, I kind of left him in a sorry state." I continue, smiling awkwardly and scratching at my neck. His confused frown turns into a completely bewildered face.

"The Kei- Zeke, you're poisoned for gods sake, why are you worrying about a keidran of all things?" He borderline shouts, a completely baffled expression really drives home the response too. I shrug and raise my hands.

"Hell if I know! I'm just worried bout the dude, I nearly caved his face in dammit. Actually, that was poison right? How am I meant to be feeling now that I've been stabbed by it?" Edwards brow furrows once again, his hands rubbing the sides of his skull.

"You're impossible Zeke, I really can't understand you. As for the poison, I think I've seen that kind before while researching one night. You're feeling incredibly ill, right?" I hum and focus on myself, trying to find any sense of wrongness, anything more notable than the poor feeling of my heart. I frown, hm.

"Nope, I feel fine actually, I guess I'm a little tired, but I think that's more so from what happened rather than the poison." I reply to him, and he looks more than just a little confused.

"Just fine? No trouble in your stomach?"

"Nope."

"Any chest pains?"

"Nupe."

"Do you feel anything at all?" He finishes finally, and we're both silent for a few moments.

"Other than tired? I don't feel anything wrong, I'm kinda hungry, and if you tug at the arrow I'll knock you out cause that'd hurt, but I really do feel fine." Edwards face is one of.. extreme puzzlement, and he quickly crawls his way over to me, kneeing in front of where I am. His gloved hand is cold on my face, and he forces me to look upwards to him, his eyes squinting.

"No pupil dilation either, the fuck?" He lets goes of my and throws his hands in the air, returning to his place on the opposite side of the wagon. "I guess you're perfectly fine, might have something to do with basitin biology or something, if you were a human you'd be a convulsing and barely conscious mess."

I hum to myself and flex my arms around, trying out most of my limbs, they're perfectly normal too, huh.

"Score one to me then, I guess I'm just resistant to poison? Perks of being a basitin." The wagon continues its sporatic silence afterwards, I'd like to think we'd be close to Wreathwood soon enough. I yawn and blink away the blur in my eyes, it's as if my eyelids are a hundredfold heavier for whatever reason, I guess it is pretty late, and I didn't get much sleep last night, my body might be trying to kick my ass for it.

"So, do you think I'll be fine to sleep? I'm borderline passing out here after all." I question Edward for his hopefully good medical opinion. He takes his time, humming to himself with slanted lips, I can imagining the ping ponging of thoughts in his skull.

"I suppose so, I suggest against it myself, but I don't think I can stop you from doing something stupid. If basitins are just resilient to poison then you should be fine, I'll wake you when we get to Wreathwood." He finally speaks, shrugging and relaxing into the wood. I guess that's fair, I don't expect him to drag my body around everywhere, hopefully he's willing to at least help me walk there. I close my eyes and continue to rest my head, the juttering of the wagon makes it tough to sleep, but I feel my heart beat slower, and slower.

..

There's a choking cold sensation in my chest, I throw myself into a sitting position, looking around. The wooden boards have been replaced with the warmth of a soft bed, the mouldy walls are a grand difference to the solid wood of the wagon too, the stale air doesn't feel great in my lungs either. I sigh to myself, I guess I'm in the dream room once more, what triggers this anyways? I look over myself, minus my cloak, I'm in the same outfit as before, and there's no arrow in my leg either. I look to my hands, they're a clean leathery couple, no holes or scratches here. I guess using the cloak as a blanket means I'm not technically wearing it then? Either way, it's nice to be able to move my collective legs around. I hop off of the bed, the carpet is as disgusting as it was last time I was here, I'm still thankful that I can't smell its potential rancidness. I hum to myself as I lay my hand to my belt, my sword's still sheathed there, that's certainly surprising.

I sigh and sit myself down again, rubbing my face in my hands. There's not much I can do here, and there isn't much I could do out there too, looking at my suddenly clean gloves feels.. wrong somehow, as if being here is cheating myself out of some responsibilities. I rub my face a final time before returning to my feet, standing in front of the book case. As much as I'd love to recollect my memories and knock myself awake, I feel a sense of revulsion flow through my chest. Do I really want to remember? I was kind of a prick before the fire after all, and knowing more could get me in more trouble too.

..But at the same time, I could be in trouble regardless, my actions have already happened even if I can't remember them, at least knowing of them would give me the foreknowledge of what I've done. I shake my head, I'll get to it in a bit. I turn to the wardrobe and look over the locks, the chain's as rusty as I last remember, and the silver lock seems to shine despite the age of the rest of the thing. I don't have to unlock it, I can just break the chains. I draw my sword, giving it a few swings, it feels similar enough to the one in the real world, other than the weird.. floatiness, but that goes for mere movement sometime. I clench the hilt in two hands and raise it above my head, the chains aren't slacking on the wardrobe, so it'll just be a clean downwards swing. I breathe in for a second, before bringing the sword down with all my possible weight.

The clanging of metal on metal fills the air, and the rusted chain doesn't seem to be affected in the slightest. Okay, lets try that again. The clanging and ringing of the metals connecting is a welcoming change from the silence, I continue to beat on it with my teeth gritting. I land a final swing on the chain and pull away, breathing heavily with sweat beading on my forehead. Nothing, there's absolutely no change on the chains, no cuts or any sign that my hits actually connected, are you kidding me? I look towards at the edges of my sword and wince, the once sharp metal dulled down into a blunt in various places, I really hope that doesn't carry over into the real world. I sheathe my sword and move closer to the chains, examining it with a close eye. It seems like a regular overly rusted metal, I can't see why it'd turn my sword into a blunt hunk of metal, nor why there wouldn't be any nicks on it in return. Looking close at the lock, it's also just a shiny bright silver, there's nothing seemingly special about that either, and I can't tell if they're meant to be enchanted in anyway. I tsk to myself and pull away, sighing deeply, what a waste of time. Hey wait a second, what about that journal? Where would that be?

I turn to face the desk, the void filled cabinets been flicked open, and the dark seeps out of the top. I kneel in front of the thing and shove my arm inside, trying to rummage through it once more for that journal. It takes a while, but I manage to grab and drag out the journal, flicking away the wisps of darkness. I don't think I should be throwing my arm in that, but there's not much I can do about it. I sit my ass down on the bed, I don't exactly feel like anywhere else is nearly comfortable enough a place to sit and flip to the front page. Does it really matter what page I go to? Lets.. go to April I guess, there's very little marked off pages there, so it shouldn't take too long. The pages at least feel nice on my fingers as I flip to the page, granted its size is a little bit uncomfortable.

_"Is that all, my dear? You know you can always ask me for anything you need, or want~"_ I can hear that lady's voice echoing through my skull as I read the elegantly written passage. Oh my god, are all of these things written down just quotes from my past? I guess it'd make sense in a way, a journal of the mind rather than an actual journal, it suits the the strange nature of it. I rub at my face, just more mysteries onto the pile then. It'd explain the differences in quality and tone at least, I wonder what else is in this month.

_"Cmon you furry bastard, is that the best you got?"_ He doesn't sound too happy, and I can feel the disdain through the words alone.

_"One lobster for the lady, and what of you, Ser-"_ Lobster? I don't think I've had that myself, and the way it's said.. is this a date? That sounds like a date, almost undoubtedly a date. Given what I know of Zeke's past, it'd likely be the emerald lady.

The last passage, last one for the month anyways, is nothing more than a hasty scribbling, it feels less of one out of frustration though. I squint and look over it, but I genuinely can't read it, though something edges me forward, I raise a hand and brush my thumb over the passage.

Fear, the shuddering sense of fear runs itself through my body, and the glow of widened watering golden eyes.

I yelp and drop the damned journal as if was heated coal, the book smacking against the ground harmlessly as I pull away, taking some time to calm my nerves and gasping lungs. Jesus Christ, what the fuck was that? That wasn't a quote from anyone, that was a full fledged mental image burned into me! Who was that meant to be anyway? The golden eyes is the only thing I can remember from the face. I hesitate, but I finally muster up the courage to pick up the journal once more, shutting it and re-seating myself on the bed, placing it next to me and rubbing my face over again. I guess all that's left is to check out the book case.

I stand up with the journal in hand, detouring to place the thing on the desk, maybe I won't run the thought of losing my arm mid sleep if I put it there, and face towards the book case. I don't feel the same revulsion as before, just begrudging acceptance. I kneel down, there's nothing up above after all, and examine the books, running my fingers over the spines of them. It takes a bit, but I finally find one that feels that little bit different, and remove it from the case. Its face is blank, as is the rest of the books, but an urging pushes my forward. I take in a deep breath and open the book, its glowing and thrashing pages continue its rage as I drop the thing to the floor, gritting my teeth, thankfully I'm already on my knees, holding my hands to my head and squeezing at my skull, break through the pain Zeke, break through it, we got this, fuckingpleasehurr-

_The torch crackles as I swing it around, illuminating the area around myself as I turn look backwards, the tall stony Templar Tower looms over us all in this town. Despite my best efforts, being in their for too long always brought an.. uneasy feeling, I know full well of its importance to us however, and of its power. I return to my march, the Captain has given me a mission for a reason after all. The stone is soft and cold on my bare paws, the night chill warded off by the torch, thick robes and the bandaged strips around my ankles, the sword is my only company for tonight, and the only one I'd be needing. The journey is uneventful, the crackling of the torch is the only sound as I walk down the streets of this town, but it's a short trip, the stone pathway turning into dirt as I approach the outskirts of the town. _

_The house's gate is shut, a singular armoured man standing guard in front of it. He seems unfocused as I approach, he wears the standard guard armour for the town, at least he has the decency to wear the helmet, even if his awareness is lacking. Perhaps I ought to speak to the Captain about the guards for this town, they're both dim witted enough not to know what they're doing and to manage to be in the way. The guard finally seems to notice my approach, a surprise mumble coming from his lips as he faces my way, a hand already to his sword hilt. I'm surprised and thankful he doesn't have a spear like the rest of them, it gets dull after a while. _

_"Halt! What purpose brings you here, creature?" He seems rather boisterous, his gesturing and body placement is strangly spirited for a man sleeping on the job._

_"Templar business, it's none of your concern guardsman, now move it." I reply to the man, a finger tapping at my chest piece, the torch illuminating the Templar emblem. He takes his time to look over the chest piece, the irritation inside of my mind growing as he continues to waste my time, he finally scoffs and sneers. So it's going to be one of those moments, then. _

_"Listen here, just cause you hold the rank of Templar doesn't mean you're given free reign over here, the Duke of this estate is under our protecti-" His needless prattling gets on my nerves, I finally cut him off with the swift toss of my torch into his face, his words stuttering from his mouth. I close the gap between us swiftly, a palm striking his face upwards, his helmet flying along with the motion. He grunts and stumbles backwards into the gate, his body weight forcing the gate to fling open, falling onto his back. I grab the mans helmet from the dirt and hop atop the mans prone body, my knee digging into his chest, I raise his helmet and bring it down onto his face, again and again. Each strike forces the mans skull to swing from side to side, a delightful cracking noise coming from him with each thwack of the mans own uniform, gurgling grunts of pain is the only noise coming from the mans lip. _

_The final strike onto his head finally renders the man unconscious, his breath is soft and low underneath my knee. His blood splattered across the dirt path, face covered in bruises and swollen, nose hanging at an awkward angle with a steady stream of blood from it. I lift myself from the prone body, dropping the helmet next on top of it and collecting my barely alight torch. These fucking guards, they really need to learn to stay out of Templar business, it'll never end well for them _

_I march upwards to the house, the dirt path ending in a circular are, I assume to be for visitors in their carriages. The house is large and imposing, as is most noble houses in this area, I approach the doors, they loom above me, large and oaken. I rap my hand against the door itself, and I can hear a small commotion behind it. The door opens after a few seconds and I look down onto a small keidran slave, clad in a plain but well maintained brown robe, a deeper tone than her fur. She seems to be a wolf one, too, they're not the most popular choice around here. But, given why I'm here, it makes sense. _

_"H-hello? W-who are you?" Its voice is soft spoken and polite, their head and ears twisting to the side as they ask the question. I continue to gaze down them, their innocent visage falters as they whimper and recoil away._

_"Templar business, where is your Master?" I ask the slave coldly, its lips trembles and continues its whimpering._

_"I-I don't know sir.." It trails off, looking anywhere but at myself. I 'tsk' under my breath, asking it is merely a formality at this point, I'm tired of waiting, and if this slave isn't helping, then it's in the way. I force the door open myself, the slave falling onto their ass as they're pushed away._

_"Hold this, mutt, and stay put." I bark to the wolf, dropping the still alight torch onto the marble floor beneath us. It scrambles to its feet and grabs at it, lifting it in the air. It's far too large for its body, and they struggle to hold it, but their whimpering is no denying of the command. I move past the slave and into the foyer, other alight torches light up the room, the marble floor reflecting the light makes it shine and sparkle. Nobles, I don't understand their need to make everything so shiny and brilliant to flaunt their riches, it's so impractical and frivolous. I make my way up the wooden stairs to the second floor of the manor, even the wood here shines, it almost hurts my eyes to look at the way everything glows so needlessly._

_I recall the directions the Captain gave me, his normally carnal reaction to anything, especially with keidran to my disgust, replaced with a commandeering and flat tone, lacking his usual salaciousness. Take a left when reaching the top of the stairs on the left side, then a right, the manors Master will be left unprotected this night due to guard shift changes. I throw open the door, its been left unlocked, either due to forgetfulness or pride, I'm not sure. The target's still at his desk, his nose still buried deep into a book, though his pale blue eyes looks upwards to me._

_"Master Ashford, you understand why I am here." I speak out to him, walking to him slowly. The book shelves on my right are filled with books and scrolls, of various topics, and the roaring fire to my left illuminates the room with a glow. Ashford sighs and closes the book, placing it on his desk and rising to his feet. His robes hang off of his bony frame, his creased and wrinkled face shows his old age to the world, as well as the whitened tuff of hair that's hanging onto the sides of his head. His eyes are worn by old age too, blinking slowly, a saddened gleam from them in the fire light. _

_"Ah... I knew this day would come, I only hoped it wasn't so soon." He croaks, his voice cracking as he speaks, lined with a melancholic pensiveness. He seems willing at least, that's good. _

_"Come quietly and they'll be no hassle." He hesitates, and then sighs softly._

_"I know how you lot work, Son. Do you care to stay a while and listen, as a last request from an old man?" He questions, his trembling body leaning onto his table to stabilise himself._

_"No. I'll drag you to the Captain if you won't cooperate." I answer the man, his shoulders slumping._

_"Please Son, you have to understand! I helped them for a reason, they're not animals, whatever control we have over them is crude and immoral. You're not a human too, surely you're not so stone hearted to their cause that you can't understand, right?" His ranting and raving is a sore on my ears, I continue to stare over the man and into his eyes, resting my hand onto my sword hilt and clenching lightly. He's not so inattentive to not notice the motion, his eyes looking over to my hip. _

_"..No, you don't understand at all. There's nothing beneath those lifeless eyes of yours is there?" I've had enough of this man. I stride myself towards him and draw my sword, keeping my sights on the elder man. _

_"Master Ashford, you are under Templar arrest for treasonous activities, and allowing your wolf keidran slaves to roam free without a slave collar nor mind control spell. Do not resist." His wrinkled face contorts into a deep frown, grimacing as he moves himself off of his desk, gripping a nearby cane and standing up as straight as he can._

_"Don't you touch me, you little monster. I'll come quietly." He hisses, coughing afterwards, I can imagine that forcing your voice at an old age him wouldn't help. As much as I want to smack him around for insulting me, I sheath my sword._

_"Follow then, stray away and you'll be dragged through the dirt and stones." I turn and move to escort the man out of the room, looking behind myself to keep an eye on him. He seems begrudging and unwilling, but he continues to follow me, it's his smartest move after all. We march down the stairs, the slave keidran still stands next to the door, it's frame is shuddering and their lips are pursed, but they still remain, and still holding my torch too. I'd be impressed if it was a person. I wrench the flickering torch from their hands, lifting it up high._

_"M-master? Where are you going?" It cries out to the elder man, their lower lip trembling as they look up to him. The man slowly kneels to the slave, a sad smile on his face, his hand reaching up and brushing their cheek._

_"I'm going to be gone with this man for a while, but I'll be back as soon as I can, do you understand, my child?" The keidrans eyes waters as they huff, shoving their face into the crook of the mans neck, a soft sobbing the only further sound they make. He holds them close to his chest, his hands petting at its back._

_"Sh sh sh, it'll all be okay, get some sleep tonight, you shouldn't be up so late after all."My eyes twitch as I rest my hand against the door, tapping my claws against the marble floor, a faint clicking noise from it. They finally separate, the slave sniffling lightly, but they nod, giving him a final hug before scampering off into a hall. _

_"Are you finished, or is there something else you want to do?" I ask the man with a mocking sneer, he's just wasting my time at this point. He finally stands, with a proud and smug look on his face._

_"I'm just wishing a beloved one off before I leave, I can't imagine you'd understand that feeling." He responds, despite his slouch, the look he's giving me makes it seem like he's the one looking down on me. I furrow my brows and push open the door. The Templars will deal with him, as much as he infuriates me, I was ordered to bring him back intact after all. The chill of the night surrounds my body as we leave the manor behind, to never see it again._

_I can't keep the cruel grin off of my face as we pass the still unconscious guardsman, still breathing lightly, the sound of Ashfords sharp inhale dances around my ears._

_"By the Gods... please, allow me to heal his wounds at least, you remorseless barbarian." His voice seethes with anger and disgust. I twist my head to face the man, his eyes looking over my curled lips._

_"Unless you want to join him, you will keep moving old man. Do you understand?" His pitiful frown turns into a grimace, I don't imagine he'd like to have his own words thrown back at him. We walk past the gate and towards the town._

_He will face his consequences for his corruption, the Templars will make sure of that. _


	16. Chapter 16

The shaking of my shoulder abruptly forces me awake, I look around, I'm still in the wagon, and Edwards concerned eyes looks down on me, his grip on my shoulder still remaining. I blink and rub at my eyes, stupid fucking memories, stupid dreams, stupid me too. That poor wolf girl.. Why didn't I care? Why was I so cruel? I just, I can't understand it, not in the slightest. It's already done, at least I know something that'll bite me in the ass later potentially.

"We're here, we'll get you some help, alright Zeke?" He speaks slowly but firmly to me, the worry in his voice is clear enough. I try to speak, but my throat's parched and my words turn into ravaging coughing. Instead, I look up to him and nod, I grunt and lift myself up with my useful leg, wrapping my arm over his shoulder, I guess Edward took the time to put on my cloak before he woke me up too, how kind of him. Trying to get out of the wagon was an arduous effort, eventually I get myself down. I grit my teeth and hiss as my foot hits the ground, the arrow's still lodged in there real good, maybe I should've taken it out.

"So, where's Gerome and Vector?" I croak out from my dried throat, looking down towards the oncoming city. A river stream separates the city and the forest, running straight into the ocean, the water twinkling in the morning light. One side of the stream is covered with shrubbery, and the other with town houses and fencing, an arched wooden bridge connects the two.

"Not sure, said they needed they needed to take care of some business, I'm more worried about getting you to a cleric of some kind myself." He replies with a deadpan and almost bitter voice, I roll my eyes, and I'd love to poke him for being a worry wart, I don't want him to drop me. I continue to look over the town some more, squinting at the far tower in the distance, it looks so.. out of place in this town, a stone tower, with a singular large, blue shiny blue gem sits on top of it, floating as blue wisps and streams circle around the tower, all leading up to the blue stone on top of it.

"..Edward, is that a Templar Tower? What's it used for?" I croak out once more with a digit pointed towards the large stone structure as we close in on the town, the closer we get to the tower, the more a feeling of dread and worry creeps up my back and spine. He looks towards where I'm pointing, an eyebrow raising.

"That? Yeah, that's a Templar Tower,they construct them to help with spell casting, I'm surprised you actually know what it is. Hey, maybe we could ask the Templars to heal you up? They're amazing with magic, it'll be done quickly." His suggestion makes my blood run cold, biting down on my lip as subtly as I possibly can, I try to hide it with a hand covering my face, coughing into it.

"I.. don't think that's a good idea Edward, just get me to any other cleric or healer in this place and I'll get off your back." He seems puzzled, but he turns away to look forward, likely to focus on carrying my mostly limp body as we enter the town. The streets are clear and bare of most people, though early risers still wander, lugging crates full of something. Given that this is a port town, maybe its full of transported goods, or fish. My stomach rumbles and I wince, clutching at it with my able hand, I really want fish now, maybe I should have ate my fill before I went to sleep

"Please, don't die before of hunger before I get you somewhere." He ribs at me, his lips curling upwards slightly. I roll my eyes and flick at his cheek with a hand.

"Hardy har har, you're hysterical, if I die from hunger then frankly I deserved it." I rebut to the man, scoffing and smiling along. The moods been lightened at least, if nothing else.

"Hey Edward, do you know your way around here?" I ask him as we continue to walk, well, as he continues to walk, I try to limp along as best I can, thankfully my throat seems wettened enough to not feel like I'm trying to swallow sand paper. His refusal to answer, as well as his pursed lips, is an answer within itself.

"I don't particularly want to ask anyone, I'll find one soon enough without help."

"I don't wan- Edward I don't want an arrow in my leg and a hole in my hand, can we move past the pride of not wanting to ask for directions so I can have working limbs, please?" It takes some arguing and back and forth, but I finally manage to convince the proud man to ask any passing humans for directions to the nearest healer. Thankfully, either the people here are welcoming of non humans or we were lucky enough to find one that doesn't care so much about it, and we're sent on our way towards a non Templar healer. Turns out, Edward was heading in the exact opposite direction of them, go figure. The walk to them is one of silence, but a comfortable one. This situation definitely could be a little more comfortable, wincing when a strong breeze decides to move the arrow shaft is painful and irksome.

We stand in front of a small shop, a small blank sign hanging from the wall next to the door is the only sign that this place isn't just a regular house, shrubbery of berries surround the area near the front door, glazed windows deeply enough so that I can't see inside.

"..Are you sure you don't want to go to the Templars? They're nice people, as long as you're not a keidran, and I'd imagine they'd know what you are." Edward subtly pleads to me, his eyes darting away from the house to the Templar Tower.

"If they try to hack off my leg with a rusty sword, that's when you can drag me there, no other case, and I'm being generous with that." Edward sighs lightly and brings us into the strange building, the doors unlocked and opens easily. Torn and scribbled pages clutter the floor of the house, book cases and desks lines the wall, ink pots and broken quills splattered across the desks too. Edward and I share a look, his eyebrow raised.

"Juuuust a moment!" A voice calls out from the depths of the room, followed the echos of loud banging and crashing, metal on metal, the thudding of wood and various equipment being dropped.

"Edward, hold me, I don't feel safe." I say flatly as I look over to him. He rolls his eyes, a small smile on his face.

"Next time this happens, you can drag yourself." He responds to me just as flatly. Finally, the mysterious figure behind the voice appears from behind a bookcase. The figure itself is a lithe and small young lady, her skin is a pale white, almost albino really, her grin is wide, pearly white and friendly too. A flat hat rests atop of her head, though her deep brown hair still curls out of the bottom of it, failing to contain it. She's wearing a brown robe, with the front of it stained with dark blots of what I assume to be ink, hazel eyes looking over the two of us.

"Hiya! Sorry for that, always a bit busy with research and more experimental things, what's the issue?" She speaks with a hyper and chipper tone, that grin still on her face as she looks between Edward and I. She seems at least mildly eccentric, though the glint in her eye worries me.

"Well, I uh, have a hole in my hand, and an arrow in my leg, and neither of us knows healing magic, so do you think you can help me out miss? I don't think my friend here enjoys lugging me around too much." I reply politely to the girl, woman, cleric. I don't know what to call her, cleric will have to do. She looks over my leg, her hand to her chin, then back to my face.

"Looks like it's an amputation job, but don't worry, I'm good at that!" I blanch and recoil slightly, I feel the blood drain out of my face, Edwards grip on me tightens and I can feel him step backwards, out of the corner of my eye I can see his brows furrow. The cleric stands there for a few seconds, unflinching and with that grin on her face before she bursts out in laughter.

"Oh relax, it's just a joke. You'll be fine fuzzy boy, just c'mere so I can heal you up, won't take too long, hopefully!" She calls out to us as she disappears from sight, her hand appearing from behind a bookcase and gesturing to follow. Edward seems hesitant, but I motion my head forward, and he finally kicks himself into motion, mumbling to himself as we follow the lady. As we turn around the corner, there's a surprisingly clean area, with seats and a table in the middle fo the makeshift room. I assume this is where she treats patients, the cleric standing behind the table, the grin on her face is unwavering, it's actually kind of staring to unnerve me at this point, little weirdo.

"Up the operating table with ya!" She taps at the table, before turning around and rummaging through the bags behind her, whistling all the while. With the help of Edward, I manage to hobble myself onto the table, laying down flat on it. Even through my cloak I can feel the steely chill of the table, I can't imagine it'd feel good on thinner clothes, or bare skin. Fur in my case, anyways, still wouldn't be pleasant.

"Hey, uh, what's your name if I may ask, miss cleric?" I ask the lady, her whistling still continuing as she hovers over my body, grasping at my holey hand, examining it between her own, I can see a cluster of blue stones within one of her hands, though I barely feel it as it rubs against my glove. It doesn't hurt as she looks over it, thankfully, though I still don't want to move it myself.

"Ya can call me Lucy, fuzzball! Normally patients don't care to wonder bout my name, odd to see a basitin as talkative as you." She replies happily, a hand reaching down to pinch at my cheek. I raise an eyebrow as she does so, I'm talkative? I get that I chat a lot, but still.

"Talkative? I thought I was just being polite." She hums and skates around my body, her face wincing as she looks over the jutting arrow.

"Eh, any time I meet one of you things they're all no-nonsense bores, they're awful to talk to. You speakin at all is a welcome change. That arrow's really in there deep too, ya probably should've yanked it out when ya could, it'd save the trouble." She finishes her sentence with an upbeat whistle, and I tilt my head, well, as best as I can when on a table.

"Save the trouble? What do you me-" A flare of pain from my leg forces my teeth to grit itself, a lenghty grunt of pain hissing through my teeth, though the pain is quickly soothed into a soft feeling afterwards, Lucy appearing above my slightly blurred vision with a bloody arrow in her hand, still smiling wide.

"Save that trouble! Can't exactly heal ya with an arrow in ya, can I? You'll be fit as a jiffy in a bit, now lemme do up your hand." Her cheery disposition is.. very strange, with the bloody arrow in her hand, but she flicks it away somewhere behind my head, moving to the other side of me once more.

"Christ, you couldn't have given me some warning, could you?" I mutter to her as she dances past my head, though I do shake my once afflicted leg, the pain at simply moving its been replaced with a numb feeling, though I can definitely move it around. It's a plus.

"Nah, it's funnier this way for me." She holds my hand in hers, a faint blue glow encompassing our hands. I'm going to choose to ignore how absolutely unnerving that is to hear from a healer. After a while, it finally stops, and I gently pull it away from her and gaze over it, the hand knitted itself together, can't say the same for the glove though, it makes sense but it's a shame, it's a damned nice glove. I sit up and move the fingers of my hand, it's almost mesmerising to watch the way it curls, I couldn't move this to save my life just a moment ago, bloody magic.

"Well, I suppose thanks are in order, Miss Lucy," I speak aloud, hopping from the metal table, moving my leg around. It's still numb, but it doesn't feel like it's on fire, that's a great sign. I look towards Edward and give him a smile, dancing around on the recently healed leg. "See, all better now! Now you don't gotta carry me around everywhere."

"And thank the Gods for that, you're heavy as hell Fuzz." He speaks with a snarky sarcastic tone, but his heart isn't really in on it, unfocused eyes looking up to me I tilt my head, what's up with him? Is he okay? Lucy zips in front of my, her hands behind her back and looks up into my eyes, her unwavering grin is really putting me on edge now. I hold up my hands and move myself backwards.

"Er, yes Miss Lucy?" I ask her, I feel sweat bead on my forehead as she moves herself closer. Dear god get away from me woman!

"I don't work for free fuzzball, pay up." She demands, jabbing me in the chest with a finger, though there's no real force behind it. I blink, and then I feel the light bulb light up in my head.

"Oh! Right, I forgot money was a thing, uuhhh.." I trail off as I grasp at my back, and at nothing. I blink, I uh, don't have my bag with me, the bag with the money. I smile sheepishly and turn towards Lucy, scratching the back of my neck.

"I uh, don't exactly have anything to pay you with at the moment, can I do something for you instead? I'll pay up later, just something to stave it off for a while." I ask the lady, her eyes squinting as she moves her face closer to mine. I can hear Edward snicker from behind her as I continue to move myself further back and away from her. Finally, she pulls back, crossing her arms.

"If you're offering yourself, then you aren't doing a great job at it." She replies flatly, the snickering turning into full-blown laughter. I feel my face heat up and flush, groaning and pinching the bridge of my nose.

"I- no, that's not what I meant at all. Just, lemme do something for you and I'll pay you back later, please?" A whine escapes my throat in an almost begging tone to the smaller lady, taking a seat on the table behind myself. She hums and taps at her chin, a faux thinking look on her face.

"Weeeelll, you didn't exactly use much of my mana crystal charges, and you were pretty fun, so I guess I could let you slide, so long as you play delivery boy for me." She finally replies cheerfully, it feels strange to call my pain fun, but if it gets me out of here and away from her then I'll take it. I give her a bright grin and a thumbs up.

"Of course! What do you need carried and where do you need it to go?" She hums to herself as she borderline bounces away from me, disappearing once more passed the book shelves. I shoot Edward a dirty glare, who responds with a smile and a shrug. What an ass. Lucy returns after a short while, lugging around a brown case in her hands, she softly but hastily plops the case on the table with a solid thud.

"Phew, thing's damned heavy. So, wannabe hunky fuzzboy, I got a friend whose a lovely painter, and all of this is 'supplies' for him, long blonde hair fella, you should be able to spot him near the docks 'round this time, think ya can handle it?" She has her hands on her hips, a determined line replaces her normal grin, thin and pale. It's an odd change, but I prefer it over the creepy grin. I shrug and grab at the case with a hand, it's definitely loaded with stuff in it, but I can seem to handle it just fine.

"You wouldn't be speaking of Eric, would you Lucy?" Edward pipes up at long last, it feels as if he's been oddly silent throughout this whole thing, other than laughing at me anyways. Lucy's creepy grin returns as she clicks her fingers, looking towards Edward as he does so. Less time she spends looking at me the better, I swear I feel a chill creep up my spine.

"Yup yup! That's the one, you two meet him or something?" She tilts her head as she questions us.

"We ran into his brother when we were travelling here, though I haven't seen him in a while." Edward shoots me a small look as he mentions Roderick, an eyebrow raised.

"Hey, I think I handled that situation just fine." I reply to him dismissively, shrugging as I smirk.

"Zeke, you flirted with him."

"And? It worked didn't it?"

"Doesn't make it any less weird." We're both silent for a few moments before sharing a small chuckle, it's nice to have the little back and forth between each other. Edward himself seems a little less strained too, a small smile on his lips.

"Ahem, I believe ya two gotta get going, hm? I dunno if Eric's gonna be staying around for long, now shoo!" She swiftly but gently tugs at my free arm, I let her drag myself out of the house, the clanking of Edwards boots following us. As we reach the door, she shoves myself out of it, followed by Edward, giving the both of us a small wave before slamming the door shut.

"..Well, at least I didn't lose my leg?" I half state, half ask aloud as I look towards Edward, who shrugs in reply.

"We're not going into there again, Zeke." He says in a deadpan tone as he turns around, walking down and away from the house.

"Hey come on, she wasn't that bad! Creepy and I feel like she enjoyed my pain a bit too much, but not that bad." I shout as I chase after him, coming to a slow walk beside him. He rolls his eyes, but doesn't say much afterwards. We walk in a comfortable silence down the street and towards the docks, but something scratches at the back of my mind. I feel like I've forgotten something, it's hope it's not too important.

..

The scent from the sea is rather pleasant to smell as we approach closer to the docks, cold and briny, as well as a great deal of saltiness behind it too, the breeze flowing through the streets is as chilly as I'd expect it to be, but it's a sweet type of chill rather than a bitter one. I hum aloud as I look over the heads of those meandering around, Lucy did say he was blonde right? Did she mean dirty blonde like Edward, or bleached blonde? Or a super bright blonde? Does bleach exist in this world? I see a blonde head full of hair walking around though, facing away from us, so I push my way towards them, he's wearing a dirty brown shirt, with equally dirty brown pants, and a rope as a belt. I don't think this is Eric, not at all, but I give the man a tap on his shoulder. He jolts in surprise as he turns around, a scruffy beard and squinting eyes is what catches my eyes.

"Hey, you aren't Eric by any chance, Sir?" I ask him politely, my nose crinkling as the overpowering stench of fish and other marine life wafts past my nose. His wrinkled face sneers as he looks up and down.

"The fuck're you meant to be? Get outta here." He spits his words harshly, a scowl forming on his face as he rushes himself off, pushing others out of the way. I feel my ears drop to my neck, and I mumble to myself. I guess that's not Eric, prick. A small cough from behind me peaks my ears up, twisting and facing another human man. The man has long and bright blonde hair flowing past his shoulders, calm green eyes covered by glasses and a pointed face, its clean of any muck or grime, soft and pointed, with an extremely calm expression. He's wearing a flowing grey cloak over his chest, along with slightly deeper grey pants reaching down to his shoes. Next to the man, however, stands Edward, with a smug little grin on his face. Oh right, Edward does kind of know Eric, whoops.

"So, uh, I assume that you're Eric then, Sir?" I ask the new man, coughing to myself lightly as I straighten myself. He gives a polite smile as he offers out his hand towards myself.

"You would be correct, good sir. May I inquire to as what you need of myself? Edward here spotted me out and informed me that you were searching for me." He speaks so properly and formally, it's not like anyone else I've heard, even the Emerald Lady spoke more casually, it's more akin to Levi's way of speech. I reach out to his hand with my own, grabbing and shaking it firmly but not overly tightly.

"A gift from Lucy, painting supplies I assume." I respond to the man, holding up the brown case to his eye level. He seems thoughtful for a moment, his hand cupping his chin as he hums.

"Hm, would you two consider joining me for a drink? Partially just to carry the 'gift' from her, she does go overboard with its contents after all." He politely offers, his hands wrapping around his back. I look to Edward, who shrugs, it's not a 'no', so I give Eric a small nod.

"Sure, it'll be no issue! You don't mind yourself, right Edward? You don't need to tag along, I'll be fine by myself." I quickly ask my friend, I wouldn't want to drag him, he deserves a break.

"Mn, I might go off myself, try to find Gerome and Vector to see what they're doing." He finally responds, giving us both a nod. "I'll catch up with you later though, Eric. Don't get into trouble Fuzz."

I give him a wave as he wanders off, though his eyes still trail over mine, hesitating before fully dedicating to walking away. I cant help but feel confused, looking over him myself. Why does he seem so concerned? A small cough brings me back to attention though, looking back and giving Eric a thumbs up.

"Right, sorry bout that! Ready when you are Eric." He nods with a polite smile on his face, slightly adjusting his glasses as he turns towards the town.

"Very well, follow on. It'll be a short walk." I try to tune out the muttering of the moving crowd around us as we move past them and deeper into the town, away from the scent of the sea. Despite the strangeness of it, it was somewhat comforting, almost feeling like a homely smell. I don't recall being near the sea much, despite my fuzzy memories, maybe it's just from the Basitin Island, whatever its called, being far out at sea.

"So, you know of Gerome, Zeke?" Eric pipes up, an almost probing tone in his voice. His polite smile seems a little more forced than before, it's such a small and minute detail, why do I notice it?

"Yeah, he's a friend of mine. I've been a temporary guardsman for him and his friend, along with Edward. It's been going mostly smoothly, just a few hiccups along the way. Are you and Gerome friends?" I both answer his question and ask my own with a level tone, keeping on where we're going, up a dirt hill and even further away from the sea. I wonder what'd it'd be like to be out at sea itself, would it be fun? Are pirates a thing here too?

"I wouldn't say that, we.. have our differences with how we see things, especially with my line of work, and the trading company of mine doesn't quite match up with his products." He doesn't go into too much detail beyond that, and his levelled voice and neutral face doesn't show much. I squint lightly, but I can't gauge anything else from it, is he trying to hide something?

"I've seen Gerome peddle around a lot of merchandise, what type of products do you trade around then?" I try to pry further as we continue our marching upwards a hill, I assume one of the houses on top of it would be his then.

"Ah, I suppose you haven't guessed it then. I'm a slave trader, well, more a collector than anything, but I sell and barter slaves." He responds to it so nonchalantly, so casually, it takes me by surprise. I furrow my brow, a hand clenching at the case ever so tightly, there's no Edward to stop you here Zeke, reel it in you.

"..I see." I finally respond to him curtly after a few moments of silence. I focus ahead on the suddenly very interesting dirt hill and putting one foot in front of the other, I've at least managed to subdue my rising heart beat, just keep breathing Zeke.

"You can likely see why Gerome and I don't get along, no? His interest in keidran doesn't quite line up with my own, and he takes it to heart. We've finally arrived however, are you still quite alright for a drink Zeke?" He asks once more, in a sightly softer tone as we stop at the front of a multi-story wooden brown house, lined with stone around the base of it, I assume it's for stability. Breathe in Zeke, breathe out.

"I can't see why not, where do you want this thing anyways?" He smiles and opens the door for us both, and I step inside, the main room is mostly barren, though empty bookshelves do lay around the walls of the room, a chandelier hangs from the ceiling, providing light to the room while stone columns rise to the roof itself. I hear Eric close the door behind us, stepping past myself and up the stairs.

"Just upstairs, follow me." He speaks again as he continues to walk up the stairs. I follow after him, the walls are mostly bare, though patterns line themselves on the bottom of each wall, not exactly a fleur-de-lis, but definitely close. We take a right and head straight into the first door, wooden stilts holding up painting canvases with tables against a wall, red curtains hanging over the windows.

I feel my face head up as I cough into a hand awkwardly as I look into the paintings, those are keidrans. Keidrans posing lewdly, and they're drawn pretty well, with an acute sense to detail too. I'd be impressed if I wasn't to bloody flustered looking at the things, why the hell does he draw keidran, especially like that? He finally turns around with a bright but lecherous grin on his face.

"Voila! These are my paintings, as you can see, they require a fair amount of paint, hence why that case's so heavy. Just place it on one of the tables, you can look but don't touch." I swallow the lump in my throat and move towards the table, trying my best to do anything but look at the damned paintings. Dear god, is that why he sells keidran around, for his own perverse intentions? I feel myself pale as i place the case on the table, what type of man did I run in to? What else has he done to his slaves? A bitterness creeps into my heart and mind as I turn myself to face the man again, I swear, if he's touched any of them, especially the children...

I'll tear him a part, piece by piece.

"So Eric, you mentioned a drink?" I try to keep my voice low and level, crossing my arms and look over to the man, leaning myself on the table behind me.

"Ah, I thought I forgot something in my haste, hold on for just a moment." He speaks briefly before poking his head out the door, calling out to someone before returning, a small smile on his face.

"Kathrin will be escorting you to the tavern part of the household, you'll be able to pick whatever drink you'd like there, alcoholic or otherwise. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some setting up to do." He moves his hands in a way to gesture myself to move away from the room, and I readily leave the room myself, whatever depraved things he wants to do in that room is, and hopefully never, applies to me. A shiver goes down my spine as the door shuts behind me, does his perverted want extend to any female non-human? Would he try to paint myself if I was a chick? I'm not gonna forget that mental image any time soon.

I hear the soft pattering of footsteps as my ears flick, and I turn to check whoever it may be. The heat in my cheeks returns with full force as I look over the newcomer.

Her sleek brown hair's done up in a bun with a light blue headband, cat ears pointing out of the top of her head, her face is soft with gorgeous turquoise blue eyes, and her equally soft smile is warm and welcoming. Black spots dotted all over her short grey and white fur. She's... rather shapely too, also naked. Why is she naked? Why doesn't she have clothes? Her chest is huge and her hips are to die for, why doesn't she have clothes on?

"Good morning, sir. My name is Kathrin, a servant of Master Eric. I'll be sure to provide you with whatever needs you may have." Her voice gentle but with a lingering confidence hidden under itself, running over my ears like silk, it's almost overly sweet sounding, continue to smile sweetly. Sweat beads on my forehead as I use every nerve in my skull to look into her eyes instead of anywhere else, why doesn't she have pants, or a shirt, or anything. What the fuck Eric, you perverted bastard.

"I, yeah, thank you Miss Kathrin. I just uh, want some drinks is all, it's been a long morning." I say awkwardly though a clenched jaw. Just keep looking at her face Zeke. I follow her down the stairs, fuzzy tail swishing left and right along with her hips. She has a really fuzzy tail, that's honestly just adorable. Shes bloody gorgeous, but I feel my blood chill and numb, what has Eric done to her? I bite back whatever may come from my mouth as I sit myself on a chair, a resting my arms on a wooden table. I look over my holey glove, I really should get this fixed some time.

"So, is there anything specific you need? You seem rather tense, too, I could always help you relax with a massage~" Her voice turns low and husky towards the end, half lidded eyes and a smirk forces me to bite down, screaming internally. Please don't flirt with me you cute fuck.

"I'll have to decline sadly, as for drinks, just some alcohol I guess?" I shrug and attempt to act a tad more casually around her. She looks saddened at the rejection, but she smiles lightly and nods, turning and skipping off to god knows where. Don't look at her hips Zeke. I let out a sigh I didn't realise I was holding in and slouch in the chair, groaning lightly as I rub at my face. Jesus Christ, I'm in the same house as a perverted slaver with a slave that'd drop jaws, she doesn't seem scornful of this place, or of Eric, but who's to say that she doesn't have a mind control spell on her? That is possible here. God, a mind control spell, what monster thought of that? The ability to subdue a beings mind to just, tell them what to do, wouldn't that kill them inside, remove their individuality? Do they remember if they're mind controlled if they're set free? A chill goes down my spine again, such an abhorrent practise, and it's normal here? Disgusting.

Kathrin returns soon after I finish my less than pleasant thoughts, a silver tray with a singular clear mug filled with a brown bubbling liquid swashing around inside. I smile to her and grasp at the handle, bringing it to my lips and gulp down. It's warm, and it tastes strange because of it, but it's not an awful taste.

"Thank you, Miss Kathrin." I give her my thanks as I place the drink down.

"It's quite alright, do you require anything else, Zeke?" She questions, head tilting to the side, much like a cat, god she's adorable.

"Hm, I actually do need something from you. Do you care to sit and chat? I just want to ask a few questions is all, if you don't mind." I ask the lady, taking another sip at the grog. She seems surprised, as well as a bit confused.

"I suppose so, but what do you want to ask of me?" She takes a seat opposite of me, her back straight and to attention, looking straight at me with those inquisitive eyes of hers. I blink and shake my head, stop getting distracted Zeke.

"I just wanted to ask of yourself, as well as your relationship and history with Eric, I'm a tad bit curious myself." I swallow my pride as I bring up the 'relationship' part of the question, trying to dull the rising anger inside of myself, bloody slave collector. Kathrin hums and taps at her cheek in thought.

"Master Eric is special to me, my previous Master was his brother, Roderick, though Eric bought me from him years ago. Master Eric has treated me with kindness and freedom for as long as I've known him, and I'm very grateful for all of it." She answers after a while, she finishes herself with a happy sigh and a small but genuine smile. I can't help but feel as if there's more than what she's letting on when she says that, that dainty little smile of hers and the tinge of admiration behind her words... Is she happy as a slave to Eric? I don't think that a mind controlled slave would be able to express such emotions when talking about their Master, unless forced to do so. I hum to myself and take another swig of the mug, finally finishing it off. A happy slave, huh? Never thought I'd see that.

"I see, so do you truly have no qualms about being, well, owned by him?" I ask her again, taking special care to pay attention to her reaction. A small confused noise comes from her as she tilts her head, her nose wrinkling and the area between her eyebrows creasing ever so slightly.

"Master Eric has never treated me any less than he would himself, or to any other slaves hes had." She retorts with a soft but determined voice, huffing lightly as her fingers tap at the table, though her face returns to a more neutral expression. I'm a little surprised by the reaction to the question.

"Alright, I didn't mean to insult either of you, I'm just surprised. I've seen some other slaves, I've seen their glassy eye stares, their lack of life behind those eyes..." I trail off and clutch at my head as a spike of pain runs through it, maybe I shouldn't be remembering those keidran, the dread and regret in the pit of my stomach isn't a kind feeling. Looking back up to Kathrin, she seems slightly unnerved and uncomfortable, but her face is a resolute one.

"Eric is a kind and generous man, the best human I've ever met, and he'll never do that to any of us." Her voice is as adamant as her face, a steely and determined tone. I blink and look over her face, there's a softness behind her eyes. I jab a finger at her as I lean on my other hand, smirking.

"You have romantic feelings for Eric, don't you Kathrin?" I both pry and tease at the lady, her seemingly unwavering face immediately shattering into a flushed and panicked one, spewing out noises and words both human and keidran alike. I snicker, and then lose myself in the laughter, tears lining the bottom of my eyes. My laughter finally dies down as I wipe the tears, her burning face almost reigniting the bubbling laugh in my throat.

"Hey hey, I swear that I won't spill the beans to him, it does explain your positive words for the man, but I do believe you. He seems incredibly perverse, but with a kind enough heart to treat you like a human. Er, human enough anyways." I snicker as she still flushes red, but her reaction does die down after a while longer, though she does still seem a little bit awkward. I hum to myself one again, running the tip of a finger against the rim of my cup.

"Hey Kathrin, is there a library of sorts in here? There's some things I need to check, if you're not busy of course." I ask her a final time, and she seems a tad surprised, but she nods.

"Of course! Eric taught me how to read with them, I'll show you." She quickly jumps up and gathers my empty mug and plate, scampering off with them and returning soon enough. I follow after the lady, trying and failing to keep my eyes off of her swishing tail. It's so god damn fluffy, I hope that the books here are in English too, it'd be rather awkward if it wasn't.

**Authors note: I've finally finished up my bio, and with it, there's some updated character information as well as other things. This chapter came out pretty quickly compared to others, partially because I finished some of it before I finished chapter 15, I was confused on where to place events, but Id like to think that this came out well. Leave a review or send a PM if you have any questions thoughts or ideas though, take care. **


	17. Chapter 17

Kathrin pushes open a plain door at the end of the hall, leading us both into the room, the sunlight shining through the clear window offers a warm glow over the insides of the room itself. The room smells and looks plain, with few chairs placed in front of an unlit fire place, large bookcases on either side of it filled with different coloured and sized books. It's not quite a library, more so a reading area, but I'm thankful that this exists nonetheless. I turn to face Kathrin, giving her a light nod of the head, I do appreciate her for showing me this.

"You've my thanks for escorting me here, Miss Kathrin, I hope that it wasn't too much of a bother." I give the girl my thanks as I move myself closer to the bookshelves, looking over the spines of them. It feels strange to see them like this, the last time I saw books of any kind were in my dream, and that doesn't count to me.

"It's no worries, Zeke. Is there anything else you need?" I hear her paws pat against the floor behind me, I hum to myself as I rub my gloved hand over them, it feels even stranger to feel these things, though there's a longing to read. Did I read much, then?

"Sorry to bother you further, but is there any books you recommend reading? Its.. its been a while since I've read anything like them." I ask her in an uncomfortable tone, rubbing at the back of my neck as I turn to face her. It's not really a lie, at least I don't think so. She smiles politely again and giggles, stepping in a light and elegantly manner next to me. It's uncomfortable how close this lady decided to put herself, at least she doesn't smell like the slaves I've had the displeasure of being in the same bloody town in, does she not understand personal space? She hums and continues to look over the books, and I can only scream internally, thank Christ that Edward isn't here to see any of this. Wait a second, she doesn't smell like a slave, is that because she's not, well, stuffed into cages and let to rot? Maybe she bathes too, eaugh, I should take a bath myself sometime soon, I don't want to imagine what I smell like. Thankfully, she finally finishes her search, picking a book at one of the lower levels, handing it over to me with a bright grin on her face.

"Here you go! Master Eric taught me how to read, picture books were easier to read when he wasnt teaching me." She seems so happy and bright, her face beaming with pride and cheer. Fuck she's cute. I give her another appreciative nod, picture books are a bit of a strange choice, but I'm grateful for her help anyways, and they do help with learning. I flip over the first few pages, my throat choking up immediately ands slamming it shut, feeling the heat run over my face again. That is not what I thought she meant by pictures, nice tail though. Kathrin tilts her head, a confused noise coming from her as I cough into my hand, handing the book back to her.

"Sorry, I uh, don't think I can read this. Do you have anything on Basitins, per chance?" I question her again. She looks slightly disheartened, but she cheers up rather quickly, taking the book from my grasp and placing it back, going through both of the bookcases with a renewed fervour. She has a focused look on her face, her tongue sticking out slightly before she lets out a small triumphant noise, yanking a book and handing it over to me.

"Here you go! A book on the species of Mekkan, there'll be Basitins in there,, though I don't think theres much on them. Why do you need a book on Basitins anyways?" She asks sweetly, tilting her head in confusion. I hum to myself as I run my hand over the face of the book. "Species of Mekkan", huh? I wonder how much is actually on Basitin. I wave my hand dismissively towards Kathrin.

"It's a long story, just wanted a refresher to see if I could remember myself is all." I reply to her in an even tone, smiling lightly. She has no idea what I mean by that, not sure why that amuses me so much. She hums herself and grasps at my waving hand, bringing the palm closer to her face, a keen eye examining it. I raise an eyebrow, what's she doing?

"There's a hole in your glove, why don't you let me fix it up for you?" She offers in a sweet voice. Unlike Lucy's prodding and professional examination, Kathrin's a lot softer with her grip, though she still has a solid hold on it.

"Miss Kathrin, you've already helped me plenty today, I wouldn't want you to go out of your way further for myself." I respond to her in kind, I really don't want her to force herself to do something for me, slave or otherwise. Actually, maybe I mind it because she's a slave? A happy one that's enamoured with her Master, but still a slave nonetheless. She smiles ever brighter, something I didn't think possible, her tail swishing behind her happily.

"Of course I'm not, I just enjoy patching up clothes. Can I please fix it?" She looks up to me with faux watering eyes, her lower lip trembling as she whines. My heart clenches, dear god she's cute. I roll my eyes and hold the book under an armpit, yanking the gloves off of my hands and giving them over to her. It feels strange to have air running over my bare hands, it feels cold.

"I guess I can't argue with that, do you want my cloak too? There's probably a few holes in it." I say it half sarcastically, but her rapid head bobbing as a reply shouldn't surprise me. I sigh to myself and undo my cloak, bundling it together with the gloves and handing it over to her. She takes it gracefully and smiles gratefully.

"Thank you Zeke! It'll be done soon hopefully, I don't have much experience with leather, but I'll try my best!" She gives a playful salute before bouncing out of the room energetically, shutting the door behind herself with a small bang. She's oddly excited about that, I run my bare hands up my arms, shivering lightly. Not having them on me feels foreign and uncomfortable, but it'll only be temporary. I take a seat and drag it closer to the window, maybe the sunlight would warm me up. There's an odd feeling in my chest as I open the book, flipping through its pages to find the page I want, it's as if I'm remembering a memory that doesn't exist, it's a good feeling. Basitins, Basitins, where the hell's the page. I let out a breath of mild irritation before smiling wide, found it!

'Basitins are short furred biped mammals, who are oft abrupt and ill-mannered when approached, a wrathful Basitin is slow to calm and quick to express said rage, their race is ill documented due to their isolation within their sea locked island. While they are visually similar to keidran, though their biology couldn't be more different. They're capable of living as long as humans, unlike a keidrans reduced life span in comparison, with impressive resilience bodies to magic and diseases while capable of enduring physical pain that may bring down a human. They are incapable of using magic.' I read to myself mentally, the font of the article itself is large and well-defined, so it's easy to read. Thankfully my ability to read properly seems to be intact, while that should've been obvious before hand, it's a good idea to make sure, just in case. Something catches my eye at the bottom of the page though, another little piece of scribbling.

'This description has been made more accurate due to the assistance of Grand Templar Trace Legacy's assistance, blessed be his strength.' I raise an eyebrow and scratch at my chin in thought, something about that name seems... familiar, or as if I should know the name itself. I guess I was a Templar, I probably should know the name of my boss. At least I know more about my race, it's a bummer that I can't use magic though, at least the resistance would help. Or I could just try not to get hit by magic, that's a good idea, also less painful. I imagine that the humans are about the same as home, just with the ability to use magic, they feel kind of European too given lack of technology and such. keidran seem interesting enough, maybe I should read about them too? There's a tingling feeling in the back of my skull as I look over the book again, and then over the bookcase, a wide smile threatening to split my face.

There's so many books here, there's so much to read! I place the book on the arm of the chair with pages down, using the arm as a type of book marker on the current page as I approach the others, there's a childlike glee in my chest. "History of the Templars"? Sure, I'll take a look at the bastards, I worked as one, might as know the backstory behind them. "Application of Magic"? Can't use magic, but this is some fantasy world, what can it be used for? It can heal, it can toss fireballs, is teleportation and physical augmentation possible? Why not, lets throw that onto the growing pile of books in my arms. I like books I guess, or at least to read. "How to Train your Keidran"? I might not take that book, I'd rather literally any other book personally, god dammit Eric. With my haul of loot in hand, I move myself back to my seat, planting them next to my feet and reopenning the "Species of Mekkan".

...

"I can't say this is exactly where I expected you to end up." A voice speaks up from the dark of the room, pulling me away from the depths of my mind as I read. I jolt slightly as I twist my head to face the voice, I hadn't even heard the door squeak open, I didn't expect Edward to be moving around in plain clothes, he's not even wearing his boots. I look around myself, I lost myself in the books, and I assume the larger pile on my left is the ones that I've read through, given that I placed the others to my right, the sun no longer shines in the room either. I smile sheepishly and close my book, I was re-reading the "Application of Magic" again, magic, such an interesting fantastical concept, it's still strange to think that I'm in a world with it. There's a small pinch of bitterness in me though, so close to magic, and even with my desire, I can't use it.

"Hey Eddy boy, turns out I like books a fair bit. Wanna join?" I reply and offer the man, as much as I want to toss a book at him to read it anyways, I prevent myself from doing so, not everyone would like books. He looks thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head, much to my disappointment.

"I've no interest in the books here, unless Eric shoved in a few more since the last time, he'd likely be too busy with his 'paintings'." He declines, and I can imagine the air quotes around paintings there. I snicker, but I feel my face heat lightly, while they look nice, they're also a tad, uh, raunchy.

"I suppose that's fair, I'm surprised I like these books so much, especially the ones about magic! Can you use magic Eddy boy? Have you been holding out on me?" I ask teasingly, resting my face on a hand. He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms.

"I'm not exactly the greatest at it, but I can use a small amount of mana in me, normally to light fires when I lack the flint to do so. Why do you have such an interest in it though, Fuzz?" He asks me, walking over and dragging his own chair to place next to me. I hum and think over the question, I can't just say 'it wasn't possible at home because its fictional', that'd out me and I'm not going through that, Anna knowing of my.. situation I suppose I can call it is more than enough people.

"Well... it's such a strange concept to me for whatever reason, it can be used for harm and health, and its so malleable, how does healing magic work? Does it force the body to knit itself together? I'm meant to be magic resistant, but does it work differently for soothing spells? How about teleportation? Do you just imagine yourself somewhere else and you force your mana to just make you appear there? I can't test any of this shit and it pisses me off, cause magic is cool!" I finish my mini rant with a huff, slouching in the chair while Edward continues to snicker, one of his hands whapping at my arm.

"Didn't think I'd see you so excited over something like magic, then again, I guess you don't exactly remember it much, do you?" He asks, though it seems like a rhetorical question, his tone taking an oddly soft tone with it. I sigh, rubbing at my face and brushing a hand through my hair, I feel bad for not telling him the truth, but it doesn't do anything for him, and I'm not really lying, just withholding some information.

"Yeah, it's a bit of a drag, but I'm remembering some things, like the Templar Towers. I get a weird feeling about those." I shiver and rub at my arm, a chill running through my limbs. I feel strange whenever I talk about it about it, it seems unnatural and wrong, like something's dully grating against my brain.

"Hm, maybe it's cause you're a Basitin? Hell if I know. Oh yeah, what's with your clothes?" I raise an eyebrow, clothes? I look where Edward's pointing, my cloak bundled at the top of the chair. Oh right, Kathrin took my stuff to fix them up, she must've put them on the chair when I was reading, did I just not hear her? I take them off and look over them, the small hole in the cloaks been covered and stitched together, so finely that I almost can't see the stitches itself. Slipping it over myself feels like a warm blanket, smiling as I wrap it around my arms, god bless this warmth. Can't forget the gloves too, the stitching work is much like the one done on my cloak, although it's a white and more noticeable stitch. I hum in thought as I run a finger over it, admittedly I know little about stitching things together, I'm better at breaking them down, it just seems odd. The hole's sealed on both sides, and I slide them on and stretch my fingers around. I take a final look at myself and smile again, wardrobes all together now, and it feels just like normal. Better thank Kathrin when I see her again.

"I didn't realise she finished it already, I gave them over to Kathrin to seal the holes in it. They look alright to me, felt a little naked without them though." I ramble on, still enjoying the swish of my cloak, god I didn't realise I'd miss this thing. I look down to Edward, his eyebrow raised and lips curled into a smirk.

"You stripped in front of it?" His tone is teasing and yet, almost accusatory, it's a strange thing to hear, especially from him. I feel my ears droop as my tail wraps around my leg, crossing my arms and raising an eyebrow back.

"It? You mean Kathrin? I kind of had to, she can't exactly stitch clothes up when they're on me. What's with you though? You've been a little off since we got here." I take a seat next to him and bore my eyes into his. He seems a little taken aback for a moment, but he waves his hand in a dismissive way.

"Was just a jest is all, don't worry bout it too much." He tries to brush it off, but I can see through his little mask there. I squinting as I reach over and jab a finger into his cheek, softly for the most part.

"Nupe, I'm not taking that as an answer. I know you don't like keidran and all, but if you know Eric then you probably know Kathrin, so you shouldn't be surprised that she's here. I noticed it back at Lucy's too, you seemed off there as well, so it's not solely because of Kathrin. What's going on there?" I continue to glare at him while I basically interrogate him, still jabbing at his cheek with a covered finger tip. I can see his jaw clench and unclench, a hand rubbing at the bridge of his nose. I feel a touch of worry over my heart, have I pushed too far?

"Zeke, I'm not great at the whole talking thing, I just don't like how hurt you sounded when we were at Lucy's, and I don't like the thought of you being alone with a keidran, entirely because of last night. You're dumb and naïve and vulnerable, I don't like the thought of someone using that to their advantage, you remind me of someone." It looks as if it physically pains him to push that information out of himself, but he finally manages to do it, slouching into the chair himself with a deep sigh, finally turning to face me with tired and brooding eyes. I blink, it's almost hard to decipher that information, Edward's actually worried for me, worried about me? Who do I remind him of?

"Edward.." I smile sadly as leap onto my chair's arm, reaching down and bringing his head into my chest, giving him a warm and tight squeeze. His face morphs into a confused one, looking up to me with a bewildered expression.

"Zeke? What are you doing?" He asks as I rest my head on top of his, clenching around him softly.

"Your worry about me is cute and all, but I feel bad that you're worried to begin with, I promise I'll be safer for you then, and I'm giving you a hug because you need it." I explain to him as I pat at his back.

"This is stupid and very likely looks weird, also I can feel your chain mail digging into my face, let me go you Fuzzy bastard." I snicker as he expresses his discomfort in a deadpan voice, a hand lightly whacking at my arm. I hold him there for a few seconds longer before letting him go, his normally flat or proud looking face is a bit flustered as he runs his hand through his hair.

"If you bring this up ever, I'll deny it then beat you." He stands and stretches, his bones cracking into place. I stand up myself and nudge him with my elbow.

"You can damn well try, I haven't actually lost to you yet, and my slipping accident doesn't count" I retort, I can see him roll his eyes just before I approach the door, opening it and letting fresh air flow over me, maybe I was in this stuffy room a bit long. "Lets get going then Eddy boy."

We leave the room, I breathe in the cool and crisper air as we walk through the walls of the house, it feels strange, but I do already miss those books. Maybe I should buy some? Lucy has a heap over at her clinic, house thing, maybe I could buy some off of her or a local book shop?

"So, did you manage to hear from either of the merchants?" I quiz the man as I roll my shoulders around, smoothing out the knots I already feel in my shoulders, surely I wasn't forcing them in an uncomfortable position for that long.

"Our charges are currently within the city discussing with other merchants and trading goods, Gerome did not wish to join myself in coming up to visit you and Eric, and I suppose Kathrin too, Vector's joined to him at the hip." Edward replies formally, as if delivering a report. It's an eyebrow raising way to respond, but I suppose he is a guardsman, he's likely had to do it more than a few times.

"I did talk to Eric about their, uh, connection with each other, can't say I'm surprised that they don't get along." I shrug and wince, a twinge of pain running through my shoulder as I force a crack, that kind of hurt, but it's a dull pain at least. Edward raises an eyebrow, but doesn't ask whatever question might be running through his brain, instead focusing on walking forward and down the steps. I look around the ground floor, I can't see Eric or Kathrin anywhere, I wonder what they're up to. I blink and shiver, nevermind, I don't want to know what they're up to.

"Eric's surprisingly hospitable too, it's a nice change of pace from certain others." I mention idly as we reach the bottom, even if he's a tad strange with his ah, tastes, he's still rather polite.

"Hm? I don't recall any noticeable hostility from the Inn we've last visited." Edward looks confused, and I match his face with a puzzled one of my own.

"You're a human, in a human town, as a paying customer. I'm a Basitin who more often than not is mistaken as a weird keidran, so the old dude from the last Inn was a bit of a tool." Edwards face takes a small 'o' shape, I can almost see the gears turning in his head. His face of realization turns to a glowering one as he lets out a heated breath. I roll my eyes and poke at his face as we take a seat, I don't think either of us has a plan on how to pass the time.

"No, you're not allowed to try to beat him up for it." I say jokingly and lean on a hand, snickering as he rolls his eyes.

"It was definitely a thought I had, admittedly." He responds, both of chuckling in good humour, it's pleasant. We both remain silent for a while, it's a comfortable silence at least, I sigh as my eyes flicker, rubbing at them afterwards.

"Jes- By the Gods, I'm tired as hell for some reason." I say aloud, groaning again and smothering them with my hands. It wakes me up just a tad, at least.

"You didn't exactly get much sleep last night, Zeke." Edward points out, both verbally and with a digit. Oh yeah, good point.

"I guess that's true, but you didn't either, so let's get a good nights sleep tonight. Do you think Eric might let us stay a night?" I ask aloud, tilting my head further into my hand as I hum. Would Eric mind? I don't want to take advantage of the man, after all.

"I don't see why not, the other two probably have their own plans for the night after all." Edward replies, a small shrug from his crossed arms, he probably doesn't know, at least not for sure.

"Hm, how do you know Eric anyways?" He hums in thought as I question him, leaning back in his chair. He takes a while to respond, and I imagine that he's just in his thoughts.

"Well.. To make a long story short, my Father works extremely closely with the Templars, so much so that Uncle and I just assume he is one, at least unofficially. I've been to Wreathwood in other times with my Father before he went East, so I know Roderick and by him Eric a slight bit because of it, less so Roderick though, he's often on Templar business." He explains, and I hang onto his words, there's Edward backstory! How exciting. The thought of a younger Edward hanging onto his fathers cloak is a cute one, and I chuckle at it. It's strange to hear him be so open about it, normally the mans pride keeps his lips shut, but maybe he's feeling more open today. He's mentioned his Father a lot, as well as his Uncle, but what about anyone else? What about his mother?

..Maybe there's correlation between why he abhors keidran and why he neglects to bring up his mother? I can feel the question at the tip of my tongue, but I bite the inside of my cheek. I can still remember the last time I asked him why he hated keidran, I can still remember his flat tone barely covering his seething detestment for the question itself. I think it's best to ask another time, if at all, he'll talk about it when he's comfortable. My heart sinks as I look downwards, drumming my fingers against the table. What sort of incident has to happen to draw such permanent ire? I have a few ideas, though I don't want to think on them too much.

"Did you ever tell Eric that you flirted with his brother? I'll do it myself if you don't." I plant my face into the table and groan, both hands on the back of my head as I dully thunk my skull against it, much to Edwards delight given the laughter coming from him.

"That happened one bloody time and likely won't ever happen again, I panicked you prick, also it turned out fine! Stop bringing it up." I scream into the table, exasperated, though its muffled. I hear Edward snicker and feel his hand on my back, patting lightly. I feel mildly mocked, huffing as I bring my face up again and poking out my tongue to the guard bastard.

"Actually, where is Eric? Or Kathrin for that matter, do you know where they are?" I ask Edward with a small head tilt, I really do want to thank Kathrin for her handiwork, I hope it didn't take her long. Edward hums and scratches at his chin.

"I think he's in that painting room of his? I can't say I'm sure, do you wanna check?" He asks back in response, I blink and shudder, though my face heats up once again.

"As lovely as his art is, I don't really want to burst into the room when he's in the middle of his 'work', do you?" I shoot back to him, Edward coughing into a hand.

"I don't either, but you're fuzzy, you also lack self-respect and decency when it comes to these things, so you're clearly the better choice to check."

"The hell do you mean by self-respect?" I fire back at the guard, my brow furrowing, I'm genuinely confused here.

"You know, you flirt a lot with people, that's all."

"I flirt because I panic."

"You panic a lot then, I couldn't even tell, even with Rod-" I cancel the little back and forth we have by slamming my face into the table again, covering my head with my hands as I scream a muffled scream through sealed lips. Edward snickers and pats at my back again, the mocking bastard.

"I actually hate you." I sigh into the wooden table, thudding my skull against it repeatedly, backed with a little bit extra force. He's not gonna let that go, the asshole.

"I'm sure you do, Fuzz." He says sarcastically, and I can imagine the smug grin on his face. I don't look up, instead continuing my venture of thunking my forehead against the table. It doesn't really hurt, but it's the thought behind it that counts. My ears twitch as I faintly hear a door open, and that's when I face upwards, looking towards the stairs, Eric and Kathrin standing around at the top with confused faces.

"Is everything alright down here? Kathrin and I heard yelling, and we were concerned." Eric half-shouts down to us as he steps down the stairs, the fox following just behind him. I send a glare Edwards way, even as he continues to grin with his self-satisfied and smug grin, prick. I stand upright and cough to clear my voice of the slight rawness, screaming doesn't feel pleasant.

"We're alright Eric, sorry for worrying the both of you, Edward and I were just discussing things is all. Glad that you're here though, I wanted to ask if you minded us staying for the night while Gerome and his friend goes about their business. If it's no hassle of course, don't want to impose after all." I shift around awkwardly as I try to look Eric in the eye, coughing into my hand as Edward sniggers under his breath, asshole, don't you dare bring up Roderick.

"Of course! It'd be no issue, just give Kathrin some time to ready your rooms and it'll be fine.'" He replies, looking towards Kathrin briefly. She pouts slightly but nods, turning and sauntering herself up the stairs, don't stare at the tail Zeke. I guess that's that then, very hospitable of Eric to be truthful. I don't want to feel so sceptical about the mans warm reception and kindness, but there is that smidge of worry in my heart as I seat myself.

"You've our thanks, Sir Eric, as well as our apologies for springing it onto you so suddenly." I bow lightly and politely before seating myself. Eric approaches and takes a seat alongside us, much to my surprise. My ears flicker as I look over him, what's his angle?

"It's quite alright, though I do wish to ask you a few things, if you don't mind." Now that catches my interest, my ear flickers again as I look at the man, an eyebrow raised.

"That'll be perfectly fine with me, what are you wondering?" I tap my fingers against my cheek as I lay my head on it, Edward spectating us both with intrigue.

"How did you find the little library of mine? Kathrin did say you were in there for quite a while." He asks, taking off his glasses and wiping at them. I blink in surprise, that's not exactly what I was expecting.

"I actually rather enjoyed it, though I apologise for not cleaning up after myself. I'm surprised that I enjoy reading so much, especially the ones about magic." I respond to the man, biting my tongue afterwards, I don't want to go on about magic too much after all, as interesting as it is. Eric's small smile widens slightly as he places his glasses back on his face, a glint of light reflecting off of it.

"You needn't apologise about that, Kathrin would do that for you after all. Though I am glad you liked reading, Basitins I've met rarely do." That piques my interest, my ears rising upwards as I straighten myself once again, though I do send a small glare to Edward as he snickers.

"You've met other Basitins? How were they?" Eric looks confused at the question, his face reflecting it.

"Of course, there is a few Basitins who works with the Templars after all. How don't you know about them? Aren't you a Basitin too?" I smile awkwardly as I scratch the back of my neck, Edward sighing softly.

"You can't really hide that to save your life can you Fuzz?" Edward teases, prick's trying to yank my chain really hard today, I swear to god. I give him a less than happy huff and flip him off.

"Sorry about that Eric. I don't exactly have all my memories in place, it's close to amnesia, but I'm recalling some memories, like the Templar Towers and some other stuff. I don't remember my race at all, so I'm trying to see if I could piece together some things together." I explain to Eric sheepishly, I still remember my old alibi of being 'raised by humans', that went out the window pretty damn quickly, didn't it Zeke? Eric is silent for a few moments, but he does finally nod.

"I see, I'm not entirely knowledgable of amnesia, but I do know of it. You've my condolences though, at least you're recalling some memories though." He speaks apologetically, his hands clasping together.

"Pff, it's not all bad truthfully, even though I can't remember everything, I'm still me, you know?" I give him a cheerful smile as I wave him off, it really isn't that bad. There's a tingling at the back of my head, that's not entirely true. The more I remember the more I loathe my past self, and I'm definitely not like him, or me, or whatever the correct way to say it, god it's confusing. It's something I have to live with, as much as I detest it.

"Sadly, you being you means you're dumb as a rock sometimes." Edward chimes up with a soft chiding voice. I sneer jokingly at him and poke my tongue before returning my focus to Eric. He seems deep in thought, his lips pursed, and I can hear a low humming coming from him. What's he thinking about?

"Well, that really is a shame," His grin turns lecherous as the glint on his glasses covers his eyes, "I was hoping you'd know any female Basitins, I haven't the pleasure of painting any of them yet!"

I blanch and pull away from Eric, gagging lightly, I fucking knew he'd ask about that, the perverted bastard! Edwards giggling turns into full-blown laughter, and even Eric joins in on it, his perverse mask dropping and replaced with his more formal face and softer chuckling. I huff and plant my burning face back into the desk again to hide it, drooping ears doing little to hide the tittering from the two. Despite that, I do feel myself smile slightly, though I won't show it to either of them.

I'll trust Eric, and by extension Kathrin, a tad more, even if it's only at slightly closer than arms reach. Maybe Kathrin a bit more, she's kind of cute. I'm happy, surprisingly, even though there's so much that I don't think I understand just yet. I hope it's not ruined too quickly.

**Authors note: I really am sorry if the latest few chapters have been somewhat slow on plot and such, I don't mean for them to be dull, but rather for character development and stuff. I promise that the new few chapters will move along faster. **


	18. Chapter 18

_The arrowhead drips with an onyx oozing liquid, dripping down to the earth beneath us. The bow creaks as its pulled back further and further with malicious intent, the tip shining beneath the dark with a disturbing glee. The man behind the bow's blurred and unrecognisable, as is the rest of the world, it's so cold, like a deathly sickened blanket wrapped around myself, I can barely feel my numb limbs hanging limply against the ground , my heart pounding with an icy fury as my blurred vision focuses on the accursed tip._

_.._

I sit up in a cold sweat with gasping breath, quickly turning into a barely containable coughing fit. I pound at my chest with a hand as I cover my mouth with the other, my eyes watering as it runs through my lungs. It slowly dies down thankfully, though my throat feels raw as I lay myself back down to the crumpled sheets of the bed, the once gentle smell of it stained with the stench of sweat. I groan internally and rub at my face, so much for a good nights sleep, god fucking dammit. Stupid fucking dream, nightmare? I think that counts as a nightmare, I can't tell, my mind's too blurred. I lay my head against the pillow, twisting and turning in the sheets.

I throw the sheets up and hop to my feet, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as I crack my joints, looking out the window. It's still night, and I did sleep kind of early, but I can't exactly see the moon from my room so that's a bust. I creep myself out of the room on soft stepping paws, grabbing my cloak from a rack and wrapping it around me as I step out into the hall. All I hear is dead silence, perhaps the others are asleep? If that's the case, I don't want to wake any of them. I make my way down the hall and stairs, taking care to step lightly and swiftly over the floorboards. Maybe some air might do me well, better than trying to force myself to sleep anyways. I slink myself out of the door and into the cool night, shivering and sinking further into my cloak, fuck it's cold.

I look around, the dark of the night covers most of the town, but there's still torches alight in the streets and the unnerving illumination of the Templar Tower, I can imagine the smell of the sea from looking over it, my lips twitching upwards instinctively despite the unease, maybe I did have something to do with the sea when I was younger, who knows. I hum to myself as I lean back against a wall, maybe I should go for a walk, would that be a good idea? It's cold and I don't have my sword, but I don't feel like I would've used it to harm another being to begin with. I think Edward might've been the exception, at least. I sigh and rub at my face, I should be thankful that I shouldn't have had to use it to hurt someone else, and yet...

Fuck it, a walk never hurt anyone, has it? I've made up my mind, I'll just wander around a bit and come back in the next hour or so, it shouldn't be that bad. I hope I didn't jinx myself there, I walk down the steps and into the town beneath, I wonder if there's any shops open at this time? If only to browse, I've left everything back in my room after all.

The walk to down the streets are dull and eventless, as is most of the walk, but there's a sense of freedom in my heart, when was the last time I've actually relaxed with a nightly walk anyways? Especially near the sea, it's salty smell is comforting in an odd way, and it gives me time to think. Thinking of thinking, what should I do when this jobs over? I should visit Anna when I come back to Dartwood, of course, but what then? I can't imagine staying there for too long, something in my blood beckons travelling. What about Edward, then? I can't imagine that I'd be able to convince him to just leave his job, even though it feels hollow to imagine travelling without him, he's a prideful but awkward bastard after all, and I enjoy him dearly...

Gah, maybe it wasn't the best to walk around after all, brooding in my own thoughts does little after all. I look up from my feet as I approach the docks, gazing out to the glimmering sea, the stars reflecting off of it, at least this view's nice. The only ones around are keidran slaves and Human workers lugging around crates, though even they're scarce at this time. I sigh and sit myself onto a nearby low wall, using it as a makeshift bench, looking back over to the endless sea. What am I doing here? Given new life into a world I don't know into a role that I can't understand, it feels so meaningless, and wrong, did I make the wrong choice? Can I actually stand being along and wandering around Mekkan without a friend, without Edward? I whimper and tighten my hood over my head, even though it's silent, it still feels so deafening, like static ringing in my skull. I pull my knees to my chest as my throat tightens while I squeeze my eyes shut. Come on Zeke, in and out, breathe you fucker.

"Hiya!" A shrill and hyperactive voice pulls me out of my brooding thoughts, yelping as I barely catch myself from falling off of the wall and swivelling around, blinking as I see a very familiar face.

"Uh, hey there Lucy. What are you doing up so late at night?" I ask the strange woman, her face almost glows in the dark at this time and her curls are slightly mattered, but she still has her odd smile on her face and the same clothes, granted it's a little less off-putting now, more sincere and less demented. Her eyes look over my face before she jumps up the wall, taking a seat next to me.

"I coulda asked you the same thing Fuzzy boy, I wander around town sometimes to check things out and stuff, what about yooou hm?" She answers back, her face coming uncomfortably close to mine as she finishes herself. I pull away from her, coughing into a hand awkwardly, please stay back a little bit you little weirdo.

"Can't say that I'm any different, I just wanted to walk around tonight, I quite like the sea apparently." I answer the lady as I refocus myself back to the sea, it's truly calming. We're both silent as she follows my gaze outwards to the water. My heart doesn't feel as heavy as before, even though I still feel troubled by my previous thoughts, it's not as heavy on myself. Is that because I'm no longer alone physically at least? Hell if I know, but I'm grateful for it regardless.

"So, what's on your mind Fuzzy boy?" Lucy pipes up, looking up to me as her legs swing back and forth. I've never really noticed how small this girl, even as we sit she only barely reaches to my shoulder.

"Nothing much, to be truthful. I'm just thinking about nothing at all. I respond to her, it's a half truth in a way, I'm not exactly thinking of anything now anyways, it's close enough. She hums loudly as she moves her face ever closer to mine, I gulp lightly and continue to pull myself away from her pushing presence. She ceases her humming and squints, her hazel eyes glaring into mine before pulling away.

"You're awful at lying Fuzzy boy, but I won't push ya." She smiles gently as her voice lowers to a softer tone before pulling away from me, returning to staring at the sea. I move myself back into a straighter sitting position, finger tapping at the stone beneath us.

"Whatever do you mean by that, Miss Lucy?" I try to ask her in an even tone, but it wavers ever so slightly. She giggles underneath her breath, a dainty sound, being around her is becoming ever weirder by the second, it sounds so odd coming from her.

"I've seen plenty of people with that face of yours. Also, I saw you curled up like a child, that's a good sign that something's up, dontcha think?" I groan softly to myself and hold my hands in the air in surrender, my face heating. Thought she saw that, hoping she didn't.

"Pfeh, you got me there Lucy. Just had a lot on my mind, I don't particularly want to bother you with it, it's just personal stuff, know what I mean?" She's surprisingly attentive, side eyeing me and nodding along as I speak to her.

"Mhm mhm, I think that's dumb as hell, you can't keep it in too much after all, you get what I'm sayin right?" She replies bluntly, so much so that I'm actually taken aback, but I do nod quickly.

"I know, I know, I just don't want to burden anyone else with my thoughts. Edward worries about me enough, and the other's have helped me so much in their own way too." I continue to explain to her, focusing my attention on the sea in front of us, my chest tightening. Is that out of fear, out of nervousness?

"Listen Fuzzy, Zekes' your name right? Ya got friends on your side who cares bout ya, especially that Edward fellow. Dunno what his deal is, but you shoulda saw his face when you yelped in my clinic. I dunno who else your friends are, but one's better than none." She whistles cheerfully afterwards, legs still dangling in a child like manner.

"..You got a good point, Miss Lucy. Would you mind if I talked about it with you, then?" I ask her, I wouldn't want to overstep my boundaries after all.

"I don't mind Fuzzy, thought that was kinda obvious. I've had to listen to a buncha moaning and groaning from people when I'm workin on them, it's a part of the job really." She replies with a scoff, rolling her eyes and waving a hand dismissively. I suppose that's fair, though it's a surprise that her clerical duties cover the more talkative parts of treating clients, there isn't anything wrong with letting it out, right? I go over my thoughts with her, how lost I feel in the world and how conflicted I feel with what I do want to do, especially with Edward. I leave out the part about being moved into the world, of course, the only one who knows about that should be Anna, and I trust her with that information. Lucy remains silent throughout it, as like before, only nodding every so often.

"So that's about it, I just don't know what to do, maybe I'm over thinking it a bit much though." I finally finish myself, sighing and rubbing at my throat. Maybe I shouldn't have blurted out so much, my throat still hurts from waking from the night terror. Lucy's silent afterward, as is the rest of the night. Maybe I spoke up too much?

"Sounds like ya got a buncha stuff on your mind Zeke, I can't tell you exactly what to do, but I can give advice at least. I don't think I've had someone worry bout the future as much as you do, but you sound like you like to wander around, nothing can stop ya from doing it, and if you miss Edward then it's not as if you can't visit him now and then. Ya could be over thinking it a bit, or you could just be anxious and lonely, it's not as if that's unusual either. Maybe ya could go check out that basitin island ya came from too!" She replies with a light-hearted exuberance, it's the most I've heard come from her too. I hum to myself and roll the words over in my head, I guess she's right, just cause I'm away from people I know it doesn't mean that I magically forget who they are. I feel somewhat uplifted after a bit at least.

"Besides, why wouldn't Edward go with ya?" She asks inquisitively, which catches my attention. I look over to her, her eyes looking up to mine with her head tilted.

"..Er, well, he's super dedicated to his job , being a guard, he's pretty proud of it and I wouldn't want to pull him away from his work." I reply to her, her nose wrinkles as the corners of her mouth twitches upwards, is she confused?

"I kinda figured that, but I thought he would still go with you, cause he seems kinda attached at the hip with ya." Oh, I think I get what she means! I chuckle and lean backwards, rubbing at the back of my neck.

"Yeah, I ended up talking to him about that today. He's a little too worried bout me because of uh, the reason I got an arrow lodged in my leg, but I did promise him I'd be a little more careful." I finally explain to her, though she still squints her eyes, as if not completely satisfied with the answer. After a bit she shrugs, returning her eyes to the sea, which I also do. It's nice to let that out, actually, the weight on my chest feels that little bit lighter, I feel as if Lucy knew that'd happen.

"That reminds me, actually." She speaks up, I hum in response as I look over to her, her idle hands occupied with running themselves through her pockets. She searches them for a while longer before pulling out a small vial sealed with a cork, a murky red liquid sloshing around in it, a dull sheen in the light.

"Er, what's that meant to be?" I question Lucy as she continues to swirl the vial, looking at it is strangely unnerving, as if I shouldn't exactly be looking at the thing.

"This lil thing right here, is your blood, I kinda maybe took some of it when you were at my clinic, just to experiment around with is all!" The chirpy way she's talking about taking my _blood of all things_ is really off-putting and disturbing, I furrow my brows and push myself away from her.

"Lucy, why in the gods names do you have my blood?" I interrogate her, at least with a polite tone, scrutinizing her with a thorough eye. She rolls her own eyes and scoffs again, still dangling the thing on her hands.

"Ah don't worry bout it, everyone has it, and you weren't using it! Anyways that's not the point of this, the point is this," She holds the vial between us, and with a mumble under her breath she lights up the area behind it, a small ball of fire hovering and illuminating the glass. "Now I can't exactly see it, but I want you to take a look at it and tell me what you see."

That's an odd request, but I indulge it nonetheless, I examine it with a close eye. The light from the fire shows brightens the glass, the blood in it now a light red. She still wiggles it in her hand, the blood sloshing around more and more, it's strange to see my blood in some glass, but I continue to look at it. I squint my eyes and move closer, within the vial I can see some small black streams within it, is that what she's talking about?

"I think I can see what you're trying to point out, is it the black stuff in there? What's that meant to be?" She dissipates the fire, and I can see her smug little grin past the glass now.

"Yup! That's some preeeeetty dangerous poison in there, I've seen it around before and it ain't pretty. Now I've had few basitin bodies to heal before, Gods forbid they actually try to stay for longer than a minute, but I've seen wounds from 'em with the same type of poison that's been used on you. The reason I know how it looks is cause the blood of human patients have this same type of strands in 'em when they're, ya know, dead, they can't exactly protest when I take a look at how the poisons ticked in em. Now, normally basitin's just kind of ignore and remove the poison, cause they can stuff this thing into their veins and it'd dissipate sooner rather than later. You ain't poisoned lil Fuzzy, but you still have the poison running through ya, at least for now, and the question is, why do you still have it going through ya?" Each second she talks she moves closer and closer to me, her eyes squinting in an intense examination as she continues to grill me, leaning further and further back as sweat beads on my forehead, lips pursed together. She moves closer, basically leaning on me, placing her hands on my chest for leverage and stability as she brings her face close to mine, her hazel eyes piercing into mine. I clench my jaw shut while my the blood in my veins chill.

"I don't have an answer for you, Miss Lucy. Can you please get off of me?" I hiss through my gritted teeth, my heart beating feverishly as she continues to visually dissect me. I can feel her breath warm my lips as she continues to move closer, pressing her forehead against mine. Please please get away me, I don't have an answer for you, please don't. It feels like its been an age of staring into her globes, the hazel an unfeeling cold, but she pushes herself away from me, her wide grin returning.

"Awh, I was just startin' to have fun too! Shame ya don't know what that's about, but maybe ya a western basitin or something, I've heard there's some sorta biological difference." She says aloud in an animated and light hearted tone. I see her hop off of the wall and brush herself off, waving as she hops away.

"See ya tomorrow, Fuzzy boy!" She doesn't look back as she shouts, simply skipping her way into the town and disappearing past a corner. I stare at the last trace of her unblinkingly for a few moments before dropping myself onto the not-bench, ignoring the dull thud of pain as my skull hits brick, rubbing my face and groaning aloud in annoyance, and confusion. Fan-fucking-tastic, another grand ol' mystery to throw onto the garbage pile that is what ever the hell I should be doing here. Does it even matter, though? As long as it's in me, then it's not hurting anyone else, and it shouldn't be a problem for people that aren't me. And if I'm not affected by it, then it's not a problem for me to begin with, therefore its a win win right? How would anyone else be infected by the poison anyways? I guess they could drink it, but that's stupid, who would drink someones blood?

I continue to lay there, blinking up into the starfilled sky, the stars are exceptionally bright tonight, is that normal or have I been inattentive? I twist my chilly body and look towards the still twinkling sea, at least that's still here, and as pretty as the sky above. I feel my heart rate slow as I breathe in an out, it's at least a little calmer, but I still feel cold as ice, which I blame entirely on Lucy for. The weirdo. I rub at my face again and hop to my feet, making my way back to Erics house, I'll just sleep off the rest of tonight, I do feel genuinely tired now at least, which I'll also blame on Lucy.

...The only person who's dumb enough to drink infected blood would be Lucy, who has my blood in a vial for reasons I don't understand beyond 'Science!'. I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose, if she drinks it then it's her own fault, bloody weirdo.

..

"Oh! Hello Zeke, where were you?" A silky voice pipes up as I push through the front door open, looking up from my dragging feet and gazing over Kathrin, the keidran's donned clothes since the last I saw her, granted it's only a pink frilly apron, but it's some covering at least, it's also cute as hell. Maybe her fur actually warms her on cold nights? I swear I remember a time where my fur was actually useful for that, though I'm not too sure.

"A pleasure to see you again Miss Kathrin, I just went on a walk is all, had some trouble sleeping is all." I reply to her with a polite smile, waving a hand, as if that could wave away my issues. Her soft and normally cheerful face shifts into a worried one, her ears flattening and head tilting.

"Trouble sleeping? Are you okay Zeke?" Her tone filled with worry, her little whine is both heart warming and heart breaking, I don't think she knows just how cute she is, I also don't think she knows how much I dislike people worrying about me, it seems that she's the innocent caring type despite her, uh, curves. My polite smile turns a bit warmer as I plant my gloved hand atop her head, scratching my digits on her scalp and behind her eyes, she's a cat right? Her small stiffening concerns me at first, but her soft smile and purring, as well as her pushing back into my hands reaffirms my thought. She's definitely a cat, now I just need to find an actual cat and I'll be happy.

"Miss Kathrin, I don't enjoy the thought of someone worrying of me, especially one as kind as yourself. I promise I'm fine though, okay?" She doesn't reply, not at first, but she does nod into my hand. It really is like scratching a cat, I chuckle as she pushes against it another time and pull away, my heart straining as she whines softly.

"Mnm, Eric does that some times, do you study keidran, or know many of them?" She asks innocently, her bright eyes flickering.

"Truthfully, I know two wolves, my other meetings with keidran didn't exactly end well." I reply sheepishly, scratching at the back of my head. The mental image of that arrowhead flashes in my mind and I wince, at least the nightmare got me out of bed to do something. She looks confused, but saddened, her tail dipping into the floor. Oh no please, not the sad Kathrin, think of a way to distract her Zeke, uuuuhhhh..

"Hey, do you wanna touch my ears? They're nice and fluffy, just don't yank them please." I offer the lady, pinching at the hair and tugging _very_ lightly to show them off. Her upset face drops and replaces itself with an inquisitive one, though the flicker of mischief and curiosity ignites behind her eyes. My smile twitches upwards, knew that'd get her attention. She slinks up close to me, god she does not understand the concept of personal space, wrapping her hands at the middle of my ears. She softly feels around softly, her claws kneeding at it gently, it feels... super relaxing, and calm, she giggles whenever my ears flicker in her hands. She enjoys rubbing around my ears, and I enjoy her doing so, it's soothing to the soul, I almost feel myself grow a little limp at my legs with how lulling it is, my eyelids growing a little heavy. That's definitely a basitin thing, I wonder what they do with it? Almost too soon, Kathrin pulls away, likely sedated with her interest, a flicker of disappointment in my chest, I'm running out of ways to think 'that was nice please more'.

"Have fun there, Miss Kathrin?" I ask in a light tone with a raised eyebrow, joining her giggling afterwards with chuckling of my own. "So, what were you doing yourself? Surely you had reasons of your own to be up so late."

She seems reminded of something, a small yelp coming from her as her tail flickers upwards, twisting and dipping back towards the kitchen area. I don't see what she's doing, but she turns around with a small tray, a single steaming cup on top of it.

"Sorry! I was just getting a cup of tea for Master Eric, I forgot about it though, eheheh." She awkwardly laughs, oh my god she's precious.

"Hey, you don't have apologise to me, hell, I'm sorry for distracting you. I'll see you in the morn Miss Kathrin, I hope you sleep well yourself." I give her a slightly theatrical bow with a small smile and bid her a good night. Her reply is a cheerful and polite one, wishing me a good night herself. Oh! I'm forgetting something, I turn and call out to her.

"And thank you for stitching up my clothes, I forgot to talk to you about that before." I quickly say to her, seeing her flash her smile before returning to retreat towards my temporary room. Despite the small issue with Lucy, tonights been rather nice, the nightmare's not really forgotten, but I do think I can sleep now. I make strides and past my door, still attempting to be quiet at least, and make my way to the bed. I toss off my cloak and other unneeded clothes and toss myself onto the bed, despite the absence of warmth from it, it feels so much more comforting than before.

Tonight, yeesh, I just wanted to have an early night so I could avoid this mess, but no, it wasn't in the cards I guess. Lucy is... worrying, very worrying, but as long as it doesn't hurt anyone then it'll be fine. I frown as I encompass myself with the sheets, despite the warmth around me, there's a small and uncomfortable chill in my chest. I shouldn't let Lucy get to me though, it'll be fine. And if it isn't? I'll push myself through it.

..

I pull on my gloves, flexing my fingers in it in a routine motion, I've already pulled on the rest of my gear other than my sword, I hope I won't be needing it today. The night was thankfully kind to me when I slept, no nightmares, no dreams, no interruptions. Thank god for that too, I really didn't want more things to think about. I make my way out the doors and down the stairs, Eric and Edward sitting at the table and sipping at their cups in silence. Edward seems to notice me mid sip though, I can see a curl of hips lips past the cup as he gives a small but friendly wave at me. I make my way and take a seat next to the two, leaning a face on hand and giving Eddy a smug smile.

"Gooooooood morning you two, how have you been Eddy boy? I missed you~" I snicker into my hand as Edward squeezes his eyes shut, placing his cup back down and rubbing at his temple.

"I immediately miss the silence, leave so it can return please." He deadpans, but I still see his lips twitch upwards, Eric joining in on my chuckling at least. The clatter of a cup brings me back to attention from the teasing though, a furred arm reaching over my shoulder and placing a cup in front of me, as well as a saucer. I look over my shoulder, biting back a small yelp as Kathrins blue eyes peer into mine, a happy smile on her face.

"My thanks, Miss Kathrin." I thank the lady and run my hand over her head, giving her a soft scratch behind the ears and returning to the cup as she walks away, likely busy with something else. Its warm and soothing as it goes down my throat, its a damned good cup of tea, she's good at making them apparently. I should ask her for some more later, or how to make it myself, tea's great. I raise an eyebrow at Erics and Edwards curious stares, the cup clattering onto the plate.

"What?" I look between the two, I'm as confused as they are apparently. Eric only smiles and returns to sipping as his cup, while Edward raises his eyebrow in return.

"Not sure why I'm surprised you're getting along with her, but there you go." He says simply, going back to nursing his cup.

"What? That doesn't explain anything, the hell is that meant to mean?" I huff and glare at Edward, only intensifying it as he laughs.

"I'll tell you when you're older." He replies smugly. Eric seems to be enjoying the back and forth, polite and soft chuckles the only sound he's making.

"Wh- I'm an adult you shmuck! I'm probably as old as you are. And it's nothing adult to begin with, she's just a cat and cats are cute, go to hell Eddy." I feel my face burn, and I feel so exposed for whatever reason, I grumble into my tea as they continue to laugh at me. Pricks, the both of you, I swear.

"Now now, Zeke, it's a good thing that you and Kathrin are getting along, I for one am quite happy with it." Eric pipes up in a cheerful and light-hearted tone, though he has an almost mocking smile on his face, a teasing type of mocking I'd hope. I don't reply, but continue to chug down the tea, at least the heat from it warms my insides. Not exactly a breakfast, but I don't want to bother anyone with that.

"Oh yeah, did you ever find out what's up with Gerome and stuff? I don't recall seeing him at all yesterday." I ask as I look towards Edward, that's something I've forgotten about, we are kind of meant to be protecting them.

"As far as I know, they're still within the city doing business, though I believe they've since moved their wagons. Why do you ask?" He questions in return.

"No particular reason, just wondering I suppose." Neither of us pushes further, instead just enjoying the general quiet. I am somewhat worried about Gerome and Vector, though. They seemed kind of tense when Roderick showed up, I can't imagine how they feel being in a town with a Templar presence. Or how Gerome would feel anyways, no idea what goes through Vectors head, he's a strange man indeed. Edward seems to finish his cup, though, calling out to Kathrin and passing the crockery to her.

"Hey Fuzz, do you want to come into town with me? There's something I want to check." Edward offers me, which is surprising. It takes a while for the words to process in my mind, but I quickly scull the rest of the tea down before responding.

"Asking me on a date in front of people, Eddy boy? I didn't think you were so bold~" I poke my tongue out teasingly, chuckling in delight as he rubs the bridge of his nose, letting out an aggravated sigh.

"I changed my mind, I'm gonna kick your ass first and then drag you to town, happy?" I continue to smile smugly at him, which slowly fades. Is he serious?

"Wait, do you actually want to spar before going out?" I ask him with a tilted head. He doesn't actually respond, but rather just twists and briskly walks out of the door. I look to Eric who has an amused look on his face, then to Kathrin, who has a bemused look on her face in return. Oh wait, he's actually serious. I yelp and jump to my feet, I want to rush to the door, but I gently pass my plate and tea to Kathrin, apologising to her before running out of the house.

I guess that's a start to the day, stop moving so fast Edward, you bastard.

**Authors note: I really ought to work on my chapter endings, especially for this one, but I want to get it out sooner rather than later, because there is some mildly important plot points here after all, just something to think about for you guys c:.**

**Have a good day, and stay safe.**

**EDIT 6/05/2020: Small light update from chapter 8 onwards, keidran basitin and human should no longer have capitalisation at all times, I was under the belief that it was needed at all times to do so because it's a race, but apparently not. It looks a little bit better too, imo**


	19. Chapter 19

The wind rushes over my face as I leave the house, the little chase after Edward didn't last long, he's simply idling near the base of the stairs, though he's since left his gloves and such behind on the steps. He's waiting expectantly for me, it seems, already stripped to his shirts and pants, I guess that's my que. I shiver as I slip off of my coat, the hair on my neck already standing up from the chill, god I wish it was warmer, is it a cooler climate near the sea or something? It'd make some sense. I throw it onto the grass as I reach the bottom of my stairs, tossing my gloves atop it as I stretch and crack my bones into place, not really holding back the small cooing from myself as I do so. God that feels amazing. Edward looks overly focused, his intense stare seems like he's dedicating himself to studying my body and stance, that's kind of worrying.

"Hey Edward, are you feeling alright? I didn't say anything that made you upset did I?" I ask him softly, my ears drooping as I frown, did I actually do something? He doesn't reply quickly, taking his time to sigh and roll his neck around, I assume it's just in preparation.

"No, you haven't done anything. It's hard to explain, can we talk later?" He replies in an almost begging tone, has his eyes always looked so dull, so full of worry? I feel my throat clench and stomach twist, but I do give him a nod in return. I know he likes to spar, and he uses it as a way to bond, but there's something else behind this one. The burn of curiosity, I want to pry into it now, but if he says he'll talk about it later, we'll talk about it then, I'll remind his dumb ass about it too. I look upwards, giving a small wave to the audience of Kathrin and Eric, he at least seems to be okaying the little impromptu spar session here, and Kathrin's nudging next to the man, her eyes squinted and a smile on her face as he runs his hand up the back of her head and assumedly behind her ears, she seems rather content, though I see unease behind her eyes. Right, sparring, lets get back to that Zeke. I take in deep breaths as I bring up my hands in a boxing position, left hand in front with my legs spread for stability, keep yourself bobbing Zeke. Edward shifts into a more relaxed form, though he holds his hands out in a prepared manner. I think it's been a while since we've sparred, but we also haven't done much fighting, so it should be similar to the last time, right?

Predictably, Edward rushes himself forward, though it feels so much slower than how I remember. He brings his right hand into a jab, this seems like a repeat of the last time we sparred. I shift my shoulder into the jab to catch the blow, but he pulls back at the last second and turns the jab into a solid slug towards my face. I blink in surprise and grunt, gritting my teeth through the sharp pain as his fist solidly connects with my cheek, stepping backwards and away from him. Alright, can't get tripped up like that again, while I can take a beating I don't think I should be doing for the hell of it. I quickly crack my knuckles, meeting Edwards little grin with my own, this is a fight! I feel my blood pump itself faster as excitement floods my veins, I stride towards the man, my hands almost trembling with the rush while I slug my own fist towards his chest. He throws his arms to defend from the swing, though I can hear him hiss as it connects anyways, I bring my left arm into the fray and swing myself with the punch, landing it into his ribs with a solid thwack. I pull myself away from the close combat though, it's a little bit safer than trying to immediately all in on him, he won't fall for it nor would it work to begin with, at least not at the current moment.

"You actually got me with that slip up, you little sneak you!" I shout the compliment to the man as my grin widens, wiping away the sweat from my head and spit from my mouth, the stench of the early morning dew filling the air as we breathe that little bit heavier.

"You got a good swing, I should've expected the follow up." He replies, a proud smile on his face that fills my heart with some warmth, a friendly cooperative warmth, it drives away the otherwise chilly morning. The pleasantries are over though, he rushes himself forward with a savage and quick hook towards my chest, I hop myself backwards to avoid it, blocking the blur of his other fist with a hand to redirect it upwards and away from me, driving my spare fist into the mans armpit and kicking him away. He stumbles and hisses in pain, flicking his arm back and forth, that hit must've got him good. He tries to move himself backwards and away from the fight, I assume to recover the feeling in his arm and to stabilise himself, but I close the gap into the man, a swift feint from a swing into another boot to the stomach forcing him to bend over in pain, clutching at his stomach. Now this is a good chance, a good chance indeed. I quickly slink myself behind Edward, a grin on my face as I wrap my arms around his waist in bear hug, grunting aloud while I lift him into the air, holding him steadily before swinging him backwards as I drive his back onto the ground behind us, the solid thunk of his back and the groan of pain from him fills me with a strange pride in my chest. I hop myself to my feet and swing my arms into the air, giving a cheer to the sky as my cheeks hurt from the strain of my smile

"Get fucked Edward! Knew I'd get you with that sometime!" I cheer and jokingly mock the man, giving the audience a small an overly dramatic bow, Eric clapping with a small smirk on his face while Kathrin looks more concerned over anything, she's too much of a bloody sweet girl, a good brawl is good for the soul dammit! Edwards small groan captures my attention, I move myself over to him, his face is contorted in pain and eyes squeezed shut, stuck between groaning and wheezing for air. I wince and offer a hand down to him, the man's going to be feeling that for a bit isn't he? He finally flickers his eyes open and winces himself, raising his hand and clasping it in mine. I pull him up slowly, hanging around him to stabilise his body, just in case. He seems disorientated and hurt, but I think he'll be fine, hopefully his pride isn't too hurt. He shakes his head before clutching at it, but he quickly rightens himself upwards, flinching as he does so, I don't think his back's very happy with the abuse.

"I can't actually believe that worked this time around, I fully expected you to drop myself on you again." He winces as he jokes around, I can't help but feel worried for him, frowning as my ears droop once more, I gently wrap an arm around his shoulder.

"Are you going to be okay? I can carry you to the Templars if you need them to help you out." I propose to the man. He slowly shrugs himself off of the dirt, and brushes my arm off of him and waving his hand dismissively, though he does shoot me a small smile.

"I've been through worse, thanks for the offer though. But hey, you got me with that, I admit defeat to thee." He announces it dramatically, taking an equally dramatic bow and hissing in pain as he does so. I snicker, he kind of deserved that, but I do feel a smidge of worry anyways.

"If you're completely sure, don't hesitate to ask me for help if you need it though Eddy. I can take a beating, but you're just a human." I tease the man and nudge at him with an elbow before making my way towards my clothes, quickily throwing them on. The fire of the fight within my chest is subdued by the differing blanket warmth of the cloak, god bless Anna for making this, I don't think I could stand this chill without it. It's strange though, while I don't mind sparring sometimes, something just seemed off about it this time, the overly intense staring and the stiffness in his voice, eaugh, hopefully he does talk about it later. I'll pry it out of him at that point. I wince and rub a thumb over my cheek, he got a pretty damn good hit on me there, it might end up bruising later. I twist and look over Edward, who's already thrown on his clothes, his face wincing in pain as he forces himself to stretch.

"So Eddy, are we going now then?" I ask him as I approach, the creeping feeling of regret seeping up my back as I look over his slightly ragged body and hissing breaths. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

Edward looks a little bit miffed, his mouth twisting to the side as his cheeks creases from it, he continues to wave his hand dismissively.

"Listen, Zeke, I'm going to be fine. I know my limits and how much punishment I can take, I'm going to be bruised up and stiff for a bit but I'll make it. Stop worrying, okay?" He replies in a chiding tone, his hand reaching up and ruffling at my hair. I feel taken aback, staring at him as confusing brews in my chest while he snickers smugly, the little bastard. I roll my eyes and give him another knock with my elbow, whatever he says then.

"Hey Eric, Kathrin, we'll be back later okay?" I look up and call out to them, apparently catching the keidran by surprise with how she jumps, what's up with her?

"Of course, the door will always be open to you two, just don't get into too much trouble." Eric replies in his formal tone, looking down on us with a smirk before returning inside. Kathrin looks down to us herself with a worried look on her face, biting her lip before following him, that's a bit of a strange reaction, I guess she really isn't one for combat. Edward for his credit seems to be used to his sores, already in that upright stance of his with an air of proud professionalism, I hope I didn't knock that around too much. When did he grab his sword? Was it under his clothes or something, did I just not notice it? Edward seems to notice my staring as we walk down the hill, raising his eyebrow.

"Did you not bring yours?" He questions, I shrug as I march alongside him.

"I left it in my room, why do you have yours?" I retort back to him, raising my own eyebrow in return.

"Why wouldn't I have mine? It's best to be prepared for anything that may arise, after all." He spouts proudly, I roll my eyes and give him yet another nudge with my elbow. The smell of the sea hovers over my nose as we approach closer to the town, it feels as if we've been walking down this hill for ages, but I think we're just walking slowly, it's nice to walk casually with a friend after all.

"We're just going into town, it's not like I use the thing anyways."

"It's best to have and not need than to need and not have, Zeke. Also, not using it is a waste of a good blade."

"When'd you get so philosophical, I thought you're just a guardsman? I'm aware that it's a good sword, I just dislike the thought of having to use it on anyone."

"Was I the exception then, Fuzz?"

"I'll have you know that cemented our friendship and was a key goddamn factor in it too, thank you very much. Seriously though Edward, I've had a walk around here last night, as long as we don't get jumped by Lucy we'll be fine."

"You walked around alone at night? You ran into Lucy?"

"Long story, Lucy scares me. Where are we going anyways?"

"I just want to check out some armour and such I saw yesterday, though I didn't look too deeply into it at the time, it might be nice to bring you around to check it out too. I'm not sure if you know the quality of a weapon, or piece of armour, so it could be a good idea to teach you about it beforehand." That piques my attention and brings me out of our extended back and forth, if only momentarily. I expected him to be walking around for a store, but I didn't expect it to be for weapons or armour. Then again, maybe I should've seen it coming, he seems to enjoy the more practical parts of life after all and that's what gear would fall under.

"What about your guards outfit? Isn't it a uniform?" I ask him as we pass by uncaring or busy citizens, apologising to one as I brush my shoulder over theirs. Edward coughs into a hand awkwardly, an almost embarrassed look crossing his face.

"Well… Technically we're not allowed to alter, adjust or switch armour, it is the human standard as approved by the King, but Uncle doesn't particularly hold that little rule to a high degree, as long as it's for our own defence and benefit." He admits, a hand rubbing the side of his neck as he side eyes the people passing us, as if examining them for their reaction. No one around us seems to mind, or to care, the mutterings of the crowd surrounding us. I exhale a faux gasp, fingers covering my lips.

"Gasp! My little Edward, a man so loyal to his calling as a guard, bends the law? How scandalous." I snicker cheekily as he huffs in an aggravated manner.

"Uncle allows it, he's my boss, therefore I allow myself." He mutters under his breath with another huff, the little frown on his face isn't a genuinely saddened one thankfully, just a flustered one. I snicker louder this time, giving him a one armed hug, squeezing around his shoulder.

"Hey, I'm not judging, if it's allowed and it'll help you then you should be taking advantage of it. That said, you're using the stock standard stuff I've seen around plenty, what's up with that if your Uncle allows it." I continue to prod and pry at him, his face only becoming more confused looking, god this is enjoyable. He takes a deep sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I didn't think it was required, I never left Dartwood too much and it's a typically quiet town, at least given its proximity to keidran space. Most complications are from the citizens itself rather than outside forces too, and it's not like many of them are combat trained to begin with. The other guards are also rather laid back, even when training or sparring." He finally finishes explaining, I'm surprised he managed to do that in a single breath. So, it was mostly just him not feeling that he needed it then, huh? That does explain his wanting to do it, at least in part, though it definitely doesn't explain his urgency this morning.

"So that's why you wanted to spar so much then, you wanted an opponent that actually cared enough to fight back?" I continue to pick at Edward, my lips twitching upwards as he nods, I called it.

"That's.. Definitely a part of it anyways, I promised you that I'd tell you about this morning later and I will, just after we look around, okay? I just need some time." He almost sounds pleading with the way he says that, his eyes looking at mine, beseeching in a way that his voice hides. I feel my heart twinge, by the gods, now I just feel bad for prying into his personal life, even if he willingly answered.

"Hey, don't sweat it Edward, we're friends right? Friends get each other, as curious as I am, I don't want to force yourself to do it." I give him a smile as I speak to him softly, maintaining eye contact while I give his shoulder an affirming squeeze, as well as nod to finish it up. He takes a deep breath, and as he exhales I can almost see the stress leave his body. How long has he bottled that up? That's not healthy, I would know.

"I know, I know." He doesn't speak beyond that, focusing his sight and march on the walk towards wherever we're going, I assume it's to a stall of some kind, but a proper blacksmith wouldn't be too out of the question. I move alongside him, how long have we been walking? I actually have no idea where we are, I've been too focused on ribbing with him. What side of the town are we even in? The smell of the sea still reigns, so we're likely near the docks, as well as sea meat, though that is a far from pleasant stench, I feel my nose wrinkle, that's kind of gross actually, eaugh. Are we passing a food market area of some kind? The murmuring of the crowd is no different from before, nor are the houses different in size. Have the houses always been so towering, the crowd so close? Has the buzzing and clicking in my mind been so loud and deafening? Calm down Zeke, calm down, just follow Edward. He knows where we're going and what he's doing.

I swallow down whatever feeling's in my throat and focus on Edward and I, just stay by him and relax. I'm thankful that there isn't anything else that wants to surprise me at the moment, with how jittery my senses are, I don't think that'd end well. The tremor in my hands slows and crawls to a stop as I let out a final stress relieving sigh, I abhor cities and crowds, at least Edward's indirectly helping with it. I miss the night, everyone's gone off somewhere and they don't walk around nearly lined shoulder to shoulder.

"Alright, we're here." Edwards' voice brings me out of my thoughts and back to reality, shaking my head and mind, the shop itself is rather interesting, like an open . The fires of a now dim lit furnace of some kind spews the smouldering ends of smoke from its mouth in the back ends of the store, a worn anvil with a hammer placed on top of it, both covered by a poorly constructed roof being barely held up by wooden pillars. The walls of the stall are lined with shoddily made shelves, various weapon and armour pieces strewn about on them, although there are tables laid in front of them with even more bits of equipment. There isn't much to see, to be truthful, the man I assume to be the shop owner and blacksmith has his back turned to us. His angry sounding grumbling is something that I can't catch very well, but I can feel the general tone of it.

"Hey Smithy, what happened here?" Edward asks as he steps forward, his tone a curious and concerned one as he catches the mans' attention. He turns around, his glowering and wrinkled face is smothered with soot and blackened ash, as is the front of his apron, eyes squinting as he looks over Edward. He lets out an aggravated sigh as he flicks away a toothpick from his scowling mouth, balding head shining in the morning sun. Hey, I think he's the only man I've seen that actually reaches my height, with the exception of Zen I think, I hope he and his brother's doing well.

"Bloody hell, didn't think you'd actually show up today kid. The shitty Templars around here, pricks they are, thought it'd be a fantastic idea to confiscate my equipment. Apparently I've been accused of arming the keidran mutts that've been ruining their convoys. Not my fault they're bloody inept and lost their shit." His voice booms in a baritone deepness, his greying beard trembling as he speaks, a barely contained wrath hidden behind his deep brown eyes. Edward looks confused, and concerned.

"What? While Templars are independent of local guards, they still both fall under order of the King, if there's an order to confiscate equipment from a potential supplier for the enemy the local guard would've heard about it too, and I would've likely have heard about it too. There's clearly some miss understanding here, are they coming back? I can try my best to talk them straight." Edward replies to the disgruntled blacksmith. Woo! Go Edward, sounding all professional and commanding and shit, proud of ya.

"They'll be back to take the rest of my equipment, the little rodents, I'd beat the scamps skulls into the dirt if they weren't Templars, pricks got their hand in everything including my damned business and I wanna make sure I have something after this," The smithy continues to grumble his gravelly voice, crossing his arms as he looks over to me. "Your friend gonna help out, too? The hell are you meant to be? You ain't one of them keidran are you?"

"Of course, whatever they're up to, I'm sure we can sort it out. It's a shame we met under these circumstances though Sir. I'm a basitin though, small differences between keidran and I, but it's a common misconception." I respond to the man, I try to keep a positive tone when talking to him, he's clearly upset about all of this, and for good reason.

"Ya sound like an uptight priss, but I ain't gonna complain if you deal with them." I feel my face contort as I lean away from the man, surprise jolting through my nerves at his response, I've never been insulted for saying 'sir' before, the fuck? I glare at Edward as he snickers, he doesn't bother to attempt to cover it up, instead shooting me a smug little grin, the prick.

"Worry not Smithy, we'll get this sorted out. Just stay calm and leave it to us." Edward affirms the man, who scoffs and waves his stocky arm dismissively.

"I prefer actions rather than words, kid, I'll leave it to you." His voice is a rumbling one as he moves himself back to the stores' furnace, ignoring the smog emanating from it and tending to whatever he's doing. I huff and lean over to Edward,

"This guy's a bit of a prick, what's up with the Templar stuff though?" I ask him, who simply shrugs.

"Like I said, I don't have an idea, but I'd like to imagine we can talk through it. I really wish you brought your damned sword, maybe the smithy would let you use one that he has laying around." I roll my eyes, of course he'd bring up my god damn sword.

"Listen, Eddy boy, it'll be perfectly fine," I reassure the man as I pat his shoulder, calling out to the smithy. "Hey Smithy man, do you mind if I use one of your swords? I don't have mine on me."

"I guess I'll allow it if you're too much of a shmuck to remember to bring your goddamned sword. If you break it you buy it though, kid." Is his immediate irritated reply, his booming voice carrying out the violent and wrathful undertone, given his size, I don't think that's just a threat.

"See? Nice and easy." I say with a smile as I look over his wares, picking out a plain long sword and giving it a few test swings. Very plain, very balanced, but very dull, I already miss my own, but this'll have to make due. I sigh and run a hand through my hair as I take a seat on the table, don't touch anything Zeke, hopefully there's a more peaceful solution to this mess. Edward rolls his eyes and takes a seat next to me on the table, creaking under our combined weight, Edward's fat confirmed. Neither of us speak, just waiting for the Templars to come back, will they come back? I hope that if they do, they're willing to talk this out. The march of a twin matching armour set catches my eye in the distance, nudging Edward and pointing a digit in their direction.

"Psst, are they the Templars?" I ask him, though it's a redundant question. I can see the insignia on their chest, the little Templar ball thing, just like the one I've worn before, at least in memories. Both of their armour is plain but solid looking steel despite that, maybe I shouldn't use my memories of wearing my own homebrewed version of Templar armour from way back when as a reference point isn't exactly the best idea, they'd be a lot of differences after all. Their faces are masked by helmets, so I can't really expect to identify them, there's no real defining feature on any of their armour pieces at all, is that normal for Templars? Edward doesn't reply, though he squints and keeps his eye on them, only rising as they approach us.

"Remove yourself from this, Guardsman, this is Templar business." The one on the right speaks up in a monotone manner, his voice hard and unwavering. They both stop in front of us, the only on the left remaining unspeaking.

"Listen, I'm not sure what's going on here, but clearly there's some misunderstanding here." Edward replies to the man, his arms crossed but tone level and cool headed.

"There is none, we've received reports of the blacksmith here assisting the enemy, and we take traitors seriously. Now remove yourself." He drones on, ignoring Edwards attempts of civility. Edwards mouth gapes into one of shock as a surprised and confused expression covers his face.

"What? Is this some sort of joke? If there were such a serious accusation towards someone, the guard itself would give the person due process for an investigation to occur, the Captain would be involved, there would be an order to these things! Dartwoods current _and _previous Captain taught us all those things, it's a Kings law gods dammit." Edwards' tone is a pleading and worried one, his arms animated moving around as he speaks. I haven't seen him so riled up like this, and standing by his side I can see his face becoming more and more distressed by the second.

"This traitor is Templar business, and is of no concern to a simple guardsman, any attempt to further impede us will be seen as a traitorous act." His words echo in my mind as I hear them unsheathe their swords, running itself around my skull even as I try to shake myself back into focus. I recall saying something very close to that myself, to that poor guardsman, at least in the memory, the shoe's on the other foot it seems. I don't think we're going to be solving this peacefully, not at all. I hear Edward gritting his teeth as he draws his sword in return.

"Gods dammit, you aren't Templars are you? You serve under the Kings' laws, not over it! Whatever thoughts you two have are not in the best interest of the people!" I've never heard Edward speak with such proud determination, his form is prepared but solid as he holds his sword with his point towards their chest. I take in deep breaths as I step alongside Edward, holding the borrowed blade loosely towards the ground, prepared to bring it upwards to defend myself at least.

"Zeke, stay near me and we can work through this together, please stay safe." I hear Edward hiss in a distraught voice into my ear as he leans over before returning to attention. I scoff and nudge him with an elbow.

"C'mon Eddy, I got this, it'll be fine" I reply to him in a relaxed tone, exhaling a breath I've been holding too long, still side eyeing Edward.

"Zeke I'm serious, be caref-" Edwards cut off as he's forced to block a downwards swing, cursing under his breath, oh fuck they're not just gonna wait for us to be ready are they?

I yelp as I roll out of the way from a downward swing, the tip of the sword digging into the dirt. Despite being so close to Edward, the man ignores him, yanking his sword from the ground and running towards me, his lips snarling as he continues his strikes. I barely make it to my feet before having to jump away from his blade making contact, at least in his fervour I can drag him away from his friend, and from Edward. Each attack is one with minimal finesse, swinging it with as much body weight and force into it as possible. The crowds screaming and other noises takes me out of the fight for a brief moment, ears ringing from the noise, but I move out of the way of another attack, using his momentum to sweep my leg into his. The contact throws him off balance, not that there was much to begin with given how brutish his style is, falling to the ground with a loud thud and grunt.

"Do you have a problem with me specifically or something? It's kind of embarrassing to see you throw yourself around like that, I don't want to hurt you but you'll hurt yourself first." I shout down to the man, partially mocking him and partially questioning him as I move away from his prone form. His only response is a feral growling as he makes his way to his feet, holding his sword in two hands and charging at me once again, shouting a cry as he brings it down once again. I sigh and move myself out of the way with a quick step, his sword plunging itself into the damp dirt once again. Are these really Templars? I'd have thought they'd be better than whoever this is, going from a fun spar with Edward to this shameful display is so… Dull, where's the fire for the thrill of the fight in my chest? If he can't ignite that, then this fight really is worthless.

"By the gods dude, I have no idea what's up your ass, but you really need to stop." I keep talking to him, this time in a more playful and teasing tone, but his small scream as he yanks his sword from the ground likely means that he didn't appreciate it as much as I do. He goes for a swing at my neck, blocking it with the flat of my blade and deflecting it upwards, bringing myself into his personal space and smashing my forehead into his jaw, a crack filling the air as well as his yelp of pain as he stumbles backwards, a gloved hand clutching at it. I don't slacken on the advance, bringing the hilt of my sword onto his helmet, the steel of the pommel hitting him with a loud clang. The metal of his helmet cracks and dents as he falls to the ground, shit, did I hit him too hard?

"Listen, I really don't want to fight, and you can't get close to landing a hit on me, just put the sword down and it'll all be fine," I offer the man, I plead to him as I hold up my free hands to him, "Trust me, I don't mean any harm here, whatever you're doing with the blacksmith just isn't right, you can still fix this!"

The Templar struggles to his feet, shaking and trembling from disorientation I'd imagine, his hot and heavy breath is visible in the morning dew. I can feel his glare into my face even through his helmet, a stream of blood dripping down from his covered forehead, my own blood runs cold. Shit, I hit him way too hard.. He clenches his jaw and grits his teeth, forcing his back straight and puffing out his chest, pointing the tip of his sword towards my chest. His arms tremor, as does the rest of his armour, it's like he can barely stand still.

"You're hurt too, come on, we don't have to do this!"

"You are a stain, to the Templars and the Guards and to humanity, go fuck yourself." His voice is shockingly young, tremoring with genuine rage and anger, it's almost like he's straining himself to speak. I blink and frown as I face the Templar, did I do anything to this man in the past? His wrathful vehemence and isolation is a good indication of that, gods, now I feel terrible.

"I don't know who you are, but it's likely you know who I am, I don't know how I've done you harm, but please _please _believe me. I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry for whatever I did, I don't want to hurt you, I don't want to hurt anyone! Please, I just wa-'' A scream of angst cuts off my little speech, grunting as I catch another downward swing with my sword, his face contorts into a crazed expression, marred with a wrathful zealousness. I feel my heart sink, I can't talk this man down, can I? Shit. A pain to my stomach brings me back to attention, backing away from the savage man, he just booted me in the gut, that's fucking rude! Jesus Christ, you're in a fight Zeke, stop your stupid near bloodless solemn vow and defend yourself, he's not going to listen to words, not at the moment anyways.

"There's no convincing you, just for the record, I tried to stop this." I don't think my words reach the man, but I speak for myself in a determined voice, raising my sword. He screams once again, another wild swing going wide as I move out of the way. I purse my lips as I drive the tip of my blade into an unprotected part of his leg, grimacing as he screams in pain, driving it deeper and deeper. I only pull away when he recuperates himself, another swing going wide from my small dash. I keep my mouth shut as I _close the gap between us, a palm striking his jaw upwards, his helmet flying off of his head with the motion_. He squeals as his back hits the ground, his blood dripping down his face. I drop my sword and _grab the mans' helmet, hopping atop of his prone form, digging my knees into the joints of his elbow, pinning him to the ground. His guttural growls don't relent as I hover my face above him, a cruel grin on my face as he lays his head onto the dirt, his unfocused and wild green eyes glaring daggers into my own, sweat and blood dripping down his face. I grip his helmet in two hands, clenching my hands around the cool steel as I lift it to the sky, a fierce determination flashing in his eyes as I bring the helmet_ into the dirt next to him, dirt flying and covering the side of his flinching face. I take in shuddering breaths through the snarl in my throat, leaning down to the man.

"Listen here, you mother fucker, I'm trying real fucking hard not to ground your face into paste. You've lost, just give up, please." I whisper in a low and deep voice to the man, turning shrill as I basically beg to the man at the end, a shaking arm resting on the top of his helmet to help it stand. I look pleadingly into the man, his eyes slowly losing its vigor and battle lust, replaced with a resigned and saddened look. He remains silent, the back of his skull thudding against the dirt, his own breaths shuddering and wheezing. His eyes look up to the morning sky, a grimace on his face. A sorrow pushes itself deep into my chest, sighing as I relax on top of him, sitting on his chest with my arms limp by my side.

"Who are you, Templar? I don't know you, I don't even know myself, whatever I've done is very likely inexcusable, and I wish I could turn the clock back to change it for what it's worth." I say to the man, he doesn't respond, he barely reacts, just staring into the sky with a dejected gaze.

"Were you the one outside that Mayors' room, the one outside that Dukes' manor? Or are you some other person I don't recall?" I question the man interrogatively, cursing under my breath as his face remains impassive, please just tell me what I've done, please let me help in some way. The clearing is silent, scarce of people, not even a crowd to spectate the little fight, the stench of blood and sweat permeates the air as my numb hands clench and unclench, rushing to get some feeling and blood back into the limbs. I nearly lost myself there, I nearly did, but I brought it back! At least, I feel like I did. The Templar here seems to be unwavering in his silence, there's not much I can do about it beyond praying he doesn't get up.

I could make him unable to move, but.. I don't think that'll sit right with me, not anymore. I didn't expect to run into someone from my past like this, at least, not in this way, was this whole schtick a set up? A bulb goes off in my head as I scramble off of the Templar, shit, I forgot about Edward!

"Alright Templar Sir, please just, lay there, don't make it harder on yourself, you're gonna be in pain but you'll be okay, understand? Just don't push yourself." I advise the laid out man, sighing in frustration as he does the exact opposite of what I just suggested, stumbling to his feet and managing to scrape together enough balance to stay upright, his sweat and blood drenched hair sticking to itself and his face.

"Are you serious? Please, just lay down and wait for a cleric or something, you're gonna hurt yourself," The determined and stupid man neglects my suggestions, instead chanting something underneath his breath. Oh yeah, Templars can use magic can't they? "Dude, whatever self sacrificial thoughts you have really isn't a good sign, pleas-"

He throws his hands forward, a bolt of light smashing itself into my chest. My throat constricts as a numbing sensation runs itself through my veins, holding my hands to my chest as I gasp for non-existent air, choking on spit before bringing my hands to my throat and clawing at it, where's the air, why can't I breathe? What's going on? I look up to the Templar with watering eyes, his face is marred with confusion and surprise. The world greys and edges fade, everything blurring into each other as I feel myself limply fall to the ground, I can barely feel my face as I hit the dirt, dull thudding of something filling my ears as the world turns from its unnatural grey into a descent into an inky dark.

So dark, so cold, I'm so tired.

I wasn't careful enough there, sorry, Edward..


	20. Chapter 20

I jolt awake with sweat beading on my forehead, along with a terribly aching pain in my skull, on the soft bed, stale air flowing through my lungs as I breathe ragged and gasps through my raw throat for it, the numbing sensation still runs itself through the my body as my chest thrums with a quickly dampening pain. The clench in my throat slowly subsides slowly as I stare with a wavering sight up to the ceiling, my hand clutching at my chest and shirt. My mind feels so muddled, so foggy, what happened? Templar shenanigans, there was a fight, I got fucking zapped by magic, I thought I was meant to be resistant to magic? The pain in my skull flares up again, clutching at it with with my hands as I squeeze my eyes shut, that's a fucking pain in the ass. I groan and rub my temples tenderly, the pain eventually subdued as I look around the room. The walls are molded and gross. the carpet torn, I guess I'm back in the dream room, as if I needed more confirmation that I got knocked on my ass. I lay limply back onto the dream bed, despite the chill and the numb of my limbs, there's still a comforting warmth despite it all.

What am I doing here? I didn't think that being absolutely wrecked counted as going to sleep, but I guess it's similar enough mentally. How do I wake up beyond remembering a memory? Can I beat my head against a wall? Can I snap my fingers to wake myself up? I don't think I can force myself awake in this case anyways, whatever the hell I got smacked with is gonna make sure of that. I rest on the bed for a while longer before sighing, forcing myself to hop off of it and looking over myself. Still the same clothing I was wearing before the fight, I think that's something that's just naturally a part of this dream. Pfeh, natural my ass, I don't think there's anything 'natural' about a dream this vivid, especially when it causes so much pain to pry deeper. Everything's set in its usual place, desk to bookcase to locked up wardrobe, the journal I once left on the desk remains there at least, thankfully. I feel so sluggish, so drained as I limply grasp at the journal, my fingers numbly clutching at its cover before slumping onto the bed.

I run my hand over my face, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths, hurry up and focus your mind Zeke, at least as best you can. I hold the journal above me and glare at it with a grimace, what is the point of you, I wonder. Why are past memories of things that people said to me in a bloody journal to begin with? Why can't you just _tell _me, why can't I just remember whatever the fuck I did before coming here? The journal slips between my fingers, yelping as the cover of it smacks against my nose and obscures my vision. I huff and let my arms limply fall to my sides, not bothering to move the book off of my face. What's the point of it all anyways? My eyelids feel so heavy, holding them up feels so hard, a yawn escapes my lips, finally bringing up my hands and moving the book off of my face to rub at my eyes. I'm so tired, so sleepy, but I can't let myself fall deeper into the dream of my own sleep. I don't know enough about it to know if that's a good idea or not. Too tired to not sleep, too scared to actually sleep, an absolutely wonderful back and forth that exists to annoy me. Right, up and at 'em Zeke, get your body working, lets' see if there's anything in this room I might've missed.

I groan and force myself back to my feet, swinging my limbs left and right, stretching, slapping my hands against my face to get some feeling back in them. It works, only slightly, but it works, it's an extremely muted feeling but it's better than wondering if I'm putting my left foot in front of my right. I look over and around the room, taking my time to look over the corners and whatnot closely, even tearing at the already torn carpet to see if there's anything underneath. Only molded wood sadly, nothing else to wonder about. I feel the frustration mount in my mind and chest as I grip at my head, the dull throbbing pain returning a vengeance. Stupid dream, stupid books, stupid fucking me too. The dull throbbing evolves into a pulsating pain that runs itself through my skull and down my chest, I clutch and claw at my face and hair, hot and cold hot and cold. I drop to my knees and barely keep my face from plummeting into the damp floor with an upright arm, shaking and trembling, more painful with each passing second. Just as quickly as it comes, it passes by peacefully, the intense feelings dissipating almost instantly as my sweat drips down my face and onto the carpet, the droplets staining the floor further. What the fuck was that? Did they do something to my body in the real world? That's never happened before, then again, I don't think that anyone really knows how the hell this schtick is meant to work. I wipe away the remaining tears from my eyes as I rise to my feet, stumbling back into the wall for stability and continuing to stand up right. I'm dizzy, but I'm still alive, or at least alive-ish.

This dream blows ass, doesn't help that I can't catch a god damn break in any of these human towns, sure sometimes it's me that causes the issue for myself, like when Edward was taking me home, but I make up for it, we made up for it collectively actually. Other times it just happens though, tsk, pain in the ass. I grumble and take a seat onto the bed, flipping open the journal and shaking my head, don't have your eyes glaze over, Zeke. Is there a point to looking through this beyond following the unwritten mental rule I seem to have of this place? Look through the journal, smash my head against a memory book, anything else in between that seems like it's simple filler. I sigh and pinch my nose, landing myself onto a mostly empty page. What's special about this page then Zeke?

_"..No, you don't understand at all. There's nothing beneath those lifeless eyes of yours is there?" _The memory of Ashfords voice sends a shiver down my spine, filled with such remorse and hatred. I grimace and rub my thumb over that passage, thanks for reminding me that I was an unloving prick, I really needed it. Where would that old man have been taken, anyhow? The Templars don't seem like the type of people who'd treat him lightly, the _accusation _of being a traitor would've ruined that smithy's business and livelihood, the actual confirmation of one to a Templar?

I feel miserable holding this damned book, I already wanna toss this clump of paper away. I sigh and continue to flip to the next page anyways, biting down the growing discontent in my chest. I swear Ashford, I'll make it up to you somehow, maybe, I'm not going to promise something I can't keep to a man who won't hear it, kind of defeats the purpose. I guess there's the thought behind it, but I digress. Next page anyways, I'll just shove myself through this again and make it work, I hope there's no unwritten rule on how much I need to read, if I need to read any at all.

"_Ya did good Rookie, ya did good." _I blink, looking over the entry. Was that my Captain before I lost my memory? The womanizer? He did call me Rookie once, I think, what dream was that? Was that last dream or the dream before? Pfeh, dreams on dreams, trying to remember things is a pain, I don't think my ruptured memory helps with that. What do you remember anyways Zeke? Any actual useful bits of information, or just more garbage to drag you down? What's the point of trying to learn your past when you squander what information you do remember, you _know_ that you've likely stabbed someone in the back, you thought as much with Roderick, why didn't you expect this to happen, why didn't you just move out of the way?

I swallow the uncomfortable feeling in my throat and close the journal shut, running a hand over my face and through my face fur.. I remember parts of my past and what I've done, that counts for something right? I know what Templar towers are, I know that I've always felt unnerved around them, even when I was a Templar myself. That Templar, I just didn't expect him to use magic, I don't know the limits of it, I didn't expect to get knocked on my ass either. I didn't want to maim or brutalise that man, I've done that enough and whatever reason he has to hate me has to be something else, right? Something I can't remember? Twisting the journal in my hands, I sigh to myself and stand up, throwing the dream diary onto the dirtied desk as I approach the bookcase. There's no point in being here any longer, and that wardrobe is worthless to me, I can only bite the bullet and run my head into a book. I reach around, feeling my fingertips on the spine of the books as I close my eyes, yanking at whatever one seems to reach out to me. I huff and frown as I tear into the pages, quickly glowing and thrashing out, I drop it onto the floor while I grit my teeth. I'll bare the pain however much it'll hurt, hurry up and finish your stupid flaffing, you waste of paper. I wait, and wait, and wait.

Nothing, there's no pain, the fluttering of the page reaches its crescendo and then stops, falling flat onto the carpet with no further movement. I stand stock still, patting myself down, I'm still here, I'm still in the dream. I lean down and pick up the book, its blank pages seem even duller than what I'm used to, though I flick through them anyways. The book seems so light, so fragile, where's the pain of being sucked into a memory? I yank at a page roughly in frustration, the thing tearing immediately and flying out of the book. I look up the floating page as it slowly drifts to the ground, staring at it with unblinking eyes. The book shakes and shudders in my hands before it crumbles, turning to dust in my hands. I finally remember to blink, clutching at the dust with my hands, but it falls to the ground despite my attempts to grasp at it, sinking into the carpet, the torn page following the same fate. I feel so cold, my legs shaking as I stumble away from the bookshelf, landing on my ass with my back against the side of the bed. What did I do? Why didn't it work, it worked the same every other time, what happened?

..Did I just delete some of my memory, an entire event within my mind, gone just like that? That's what those books are meant to be right? If that's gone, that means it's all gone? I feel so cold, shivering and bringing my knees to my chest as I look over the room, the walls of it seem so close and so confining than before. It's so hard to breath, I bite down on my jaw and wrap my cloak around me, hoping to a god that it does something to stave off the creeping chill. Why didn't it work Zeke? Why didn't it work, it was meant to work, how do I get out of here? I shiver and stand onto my wobbling feet, I can see my breaths forming in the suddenly freezing air, desperately clawing at my cloak to cover myself, my fur worth jack shit for being warm like normal. I feel a sense of despair form in my chest along with the chill, taking a running start and throwing myself into a wall, desperate for something to happen. I bounce off of the wall and onto my ass, much to my dismay. It's just a wall Zeke, what did you think would happen? Did you think it would magically open up and show you the way out of here? My teeth chatters as I stiffly move over to the bookcase, something's gotta be here right? I run my hands over the books, desperate to grasp at something, my hands slide off of the spines of the things as much as I try to grab at it.

A worthless endeavour, I move to the wardrobe, as stagnant and unmoving as ever, there's nothing I can get from this, stumbling back to the desk. I willingly throw my arm into the void, my mind clouded with the oppressive chill, there's nothing here either, there's nothing at all. I'm trapped here. I stand slowly with that realization, walking back to the bed and limply falling on top of it. What do I do here, do I just sleep? Will I wake up if I do sleep, or will it just pass the time? With a shuddering breath and some twisting and turning, I wrap myself in the blankets of the bed, the comforting warmth does little to soothe myself, it does little at all to battle the freeze. I squeeze my eyes shut and smother my face into the pillow. Just go to sleep Zeke, go to sleep and pray this ends.

..

I pace back and forth in the room, rubbing my hands roughly over my face, tugging at my hair and running them over my ears, repeating that process as I continue to move too and fro. I spice it up by walking in a circle, sometimes I smash my head against a wall to remind myself that I'm still stuck in here. The sleep did nothing, it did worse than nothing actually, the freeze and the tugging at my chest only hurts more so now. What are we doing here Zeke? Why do we subject ourselves to this, is this some sort of retribution for being a prick in the past?

I curse to myself as I continue my pacing, this isn't a curse by any means, this is an accident of disastrous repercussions, if I didn't get zapped I wouldn't be in this god damned situation, stuck in a dream that refuses to dissipate itself, and I can't remove it myself either. So what do we do Zeke, do we continue to waste our non-existent energy and time? It's our only choice really, we have to wait till someone else wakes us up. Consulting the books is a bust, they're as uncooperative as before, at least I'm used to the chill. I take a seat on the bed and claw at my face, scratching at the skin underneath the fur a slight bit too intensely, this place is getting to me. Stupid stupid stupid, gods, you promised Edward that you'd be _more _careful, and here you are in what's basically a coma. Edward, poor man, he'll have to drag my ass through the streets, I won't even fault him if he leaves me there this time.

...I've caused so much trouble for him, haven't I? The only person I know a decent bit in this god forsaken world and I'd call a close friend, and all I've been is a burden on him, he should just leave my ass in the dust, leave me with the Templars so they can burn my ass at the stake or whatever they do. What about money? Would they have a bounty on me, would Edward hand me in for it? I think he should, but...

He wouldn't do that, the stupid man, I've worried him so much, but he won't do that. I don't know if I'm meant to feel happy or sad about that. Stupid mess, stupid Zeke, stupid me, I shouldn't be here. I close my eyes and take in breaths, okay Zeke, that's enough, as much as you believe it, it's not a good use of time. I let out a heated huff as I feel a bitterness form in my chest, what's a good use of time when you're stuck in your own mind? I pull my knees to my chest as I rock myself, biting down on my lip, I can feel a coppery taste in my mouth as I do so. At least I can feel here. Another throb pulsates in my head, my eyes widen, I barely have enough time to clutch at it before it cranks itself, running itself through my skull and the rest of my body. It wracks my body, hot and cold hot and cold, what are they doing, what's going on? Why are they doing this again, are they doing this or am I doing this to myself? I grit my teeth and let it flow through my body, the pain turning into a red hot anger flooding my veins. Despite the throbbing in my head, I stand on shaky feet, a hand clawing at my face as I look up to the ceiling. Is this some sort of joke to you, some sort of sick jest? My spare hand clenches, my fingernails digging at my skin as the rage reaches a new height, I look down to it, then back to the roof. There's little hesitation, a desperation in my mind begging for anything to happen, I lean my head back and drive my face into my fist, I feel my bones crunch as a shattering noise filling my ears-

As I jolt awake, sweat beading down my drenched face as I take in the air, sweet crisp air, it has the disgusting taste of medicine, but there's a taste. I blink rapidly to clear my blurry vision and look around the room and over myself, I'm stuck in a bed, not my dream bed, an _actual _bed. Oh my god, I'm back, I'm in the real world! My head feels like a jackhammer's pounding itself into me, but I'm here! Elation fills my body, the elation leading to a joyous laughter, which quickly turns into a painful coughing fit. I slowly push down the coughing down and run a ragged breath through my lungs, it still feels raw, like my insides were lit up. I reach up and touch my face with a hand, the phantom pains of my own punch mutely rippling through my face, I can't believe that actually worked, I pulled that out of my ass because I was angry and pissed.

I look around the dark room, moonlight spilling into it, beds lined up against the walls with white sheets tucked in . Am I in a medicinal bay? It'd make sense if Edward dragged me somewhere, is this a Templar base of some kind? I grunt and grit my teeth, ignoring the pain in my muscles as I twist myself into a sitting position, slowly rising and stumbling onto my feet. A plain white gown cascades down my body, someone's changed me out of my regular clothes, that's not surprising but I do feel awkward about it. I slowly amble my way in the dark to the door, weakly grasping the handle and pulling it backwards, squinting my eyes and hissing as torch light burns my eyes. Maybe moving around so soon after waking up isn't the best idea, but I need to move.

I stumble my way to the next room, leaning against a wall as I look over it. Tables that's clear of people litter around the area, there's no one else here either. It faintly reminds me of the barracks Edward brought me too, once, though more organised. Alright Zeke, what's the plan? Find out what's going on, get your gear and leave? I'd like to do that, but I'd feel bad about leaving whoever's been taking care of me behind without a thanks. How long had I been asleep, anyways? Its' at least been a while, it is night after all. I walk towards the tables and examine the doors with squinted eyes, there's no markings on them, and even if there were, I don't think I'd understand them. Fantastic, stuck in an unknown building with nothing but the clothes on my back.

"Hello." A flat and expressionless voice calls out from behind me, twisting around to face them with a surprised yelp. A disturbingly large man stands upright, a surprising presence in the room, glad in a white and red robe with an expressionless face. His face is surprisingly young looking, with grey eyes that's focused intensely on me and short light brown hair on his head. When did he get there? I didn't even hear him, hurry up and respond Zeke.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I didn't hear you there sir. Do you know where I am? I only just woke up and I'm very confused to say the least." I respond to the stranger. He continues to stare and focus on me even as he approaches, I swallow the encroaching lump in my throat as I look up to him, dear god, hes fucking massive and his arm's the size of a god damned tree trunk.. He holds his hands up to me with a faint glow, a shivering and disturbing feeling runs up my body from foot to head, subsiding when he lowers his hands.

"You've sufficiently recovered, follow me." His tone is low and monotonous, giving me a small gesture to follow the man before twisting and marching off. I blink as the words process in my mind before hurriedly limping after him, wincing in pain with each step as my muscles strain to keep me up right. Couldn't have given me a cane or something huh, you meathead, or use some of that magic to actually help me. I grumble under my breath but remain resolved in following the burly stranger, looking side to side as we pass non-descript doors and hallways, I have no idea where the hell I am. You might be stumbling into your death, Zeke, be careful.

The stranger remains silent as he escorts me to wherever I'm going, at least he slows down at points to let me catch my breath and soothe my aching muscles. We finally come to a stop outside of a large looming wooden door, the stranger motioning his head towards the door.

"In." Is his only demand before taking his place nearly the door, standing upright and I assume taking guard. I look up to the man out of the corner of my eye as I grasp at the handle of the door, pushing it open and walking into it. The room itself is very spartan, the only furniture being a table at the very end of a room with two seats on either side as well as a singular torch illuminating the cold stony brick walls. There's a figure hunched over the desk at the end, their head flicking upwards to face me. It's a man, his face is rugged and littered with scars, even slicing into the eye patch he wears. His amber eye bores into me as he sits straight, deep black hair flowing backwards and to the side of his head as he runs an armoured hand through it before clasping them together on his desk, his lips are thin and pursed, armour a darkened silver hue in the flickering light.

"You've awakened, then, take a seat." He speaks, his voice is gruff and deep, fitting of his visage and figure as he motions with a hand towards the seat in front of him. I hurry myself to it, as fast as I can limp anyways, taking the offered seat. I look to him and suppress the rising tremor in my throat with a cough, my fingertips tapping against the desk.

"I must apologise for any, well, issues I may have caused lately, Sir, it wasn't my intent-" He silences my thick sounding apology with a raised hand, pursing my lips flat immediately. Jesus christ, I don't want to test him at all.

"I've already heard of what happened, your friend was very vocal about it. You go by Zeke now, correct?" He asks as he clasps his fingertips together again, looking to me over it. I don't speak but I do nod vigorously, I assume that he speaks of Edward. But, going by Zeke _now_? Does he know me?

"It's what I've always gone by, Sir. I don't recall much of my memory beyond a few weeks ago to be truthful, and Zeke is the name I've adopted because of it. Do you know me by any chance?" I feel nerves creep into my chest as I ask the man, tilting my head questioningly. Zeke you're trying to pry into a man who can crush your head between his hands-

"Mn, your friend said as much too when we asked about you. As loathe as I am to believe you, I sadly must give you some leeway about this. My troops have been punished for their actions, their ill will was no order of mine. As for knowing you, 'Zeke', we have worked together at some points, you were sullen, also a prick." He speaks in a level tone, though there is some aggravation in it towards the end. I sigh and lean on a hand, looking away from the man.

"Tsk, figured that much. Seems to be a running theme with whatever memories I do manage to crop up. For what it's worth, I really am sorry about it." I apologise weakly, scratching at the back of my neck awkwardly. Shit, being in the room as someone who _knows_ who I am, who I have done wrong is worrying. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as worry grips me, I'm in a weakened state with a man who likely loathes my existence. I bite down on the inside of my cheek to subdue the feeling of worry as the man continues his permanent stare.

"Your words do little, but I suppose I'm grateful that you're not quite the person you once were." His reply does little to calm my beating heart, neither does his gloved fingers tapping on the wooden surface. Is he irritated, is he bored? What's he thinking?

"Is there an issue Sir?" I ask him as flatly as I can, trying to ignore his almost scathing stare. The question seems to bring him back to his senses, the intensity behind his eyes dying down.

"You bring up terrible memories, Zeke. You were a terrible person with little life behind your dull eyes, and looking at you now, it's as if you're an entirely different person. Tell me, do you know what it's like to see such a naive child with the face of a man you hate?" His tone is one of a cold fury, his eyes reflecting a sudden anger in it. My throat clenches as silence reigns in the room, the tapping of his fingers stopping suddenly. Fuck this was a terrible idea, Zeke how do we get out of here? There's the giant outside the door behind you with a man who wants your guts on the floor in front of you, you legitimately can't run to save your life, ohgodpleasen-

The frustrated growl of the leader in front of me brings me out of my thoughts, a clenched fist smashing at the table beneath us. I let out a small yelp and push myself away, the chair legs grinding against the floor, the mans' violent outburst disappearing as quickly as it appears, his face returning to an impassive neutrality.

"That, right there, is my point. You _never_ would've held that fear in your eyes, you'd sooner break your face against someone else to try to take someone down with you, I've _seen_ you do that." His voice is a low and angry growl, though even that quickly dies down. I purse my lips shut as the silence continues its dominance in the increasingly tense air, only slightly diffusing when the man lets out an aggravated sigh.

"You confuse me Zeke, but there's little we can do tonight. Your friend will likely be here at sun rise, so you best rest up." He speaks up finally with an authoritarian voice, standing to his full height, fuck he's tall as well, I've never felt so dwarfed continuously.

"Hey, do you mind if I ask a few questions beforehand? I just want some answers, if it's okay with you of course." I quickly pipe up and ask him, he hums in thought, but he does sit down to my surprise. I fully expected him to tell me to go to hell.

"I don't see the harm in it, I suppose. Ask away." He says after he seats himself, making eye contact and maintaining it. I awkwardly shift in my seat, it feels like the man's gaze is a contemptuous leer.

"Okay, so, where am I exactly? I figure I'm in a Templar base of some kind near a Templar tower, cause it feels like a hammer's being smashed into my head repeatedly." The mans' lips twitch upwards, he's full of surprises apparently. Actually, that might be because he likes the thought of that happening, ich.

"You're correct about that on both parts, you're _in_ the Templar tower, to be specific." He explains. I nod along with him, I thought so, though there's never a harm in asking to confirm it.

"I think I recall something about that from a memory, that Templars live in these towers, though I don't remember anything else. Where is everyone else? I'm not sure about how Templars work, but I thought there'd be more around." He raises his eyebrow at that question, a small smirk on his face.

"It's late at night, there's very little who would still be up. I'm awake because I have to deal with the paperwork that's come up because of today. Kedrick, the man who escorted you here, is awake because it's his personal duty to look after whoever's in the infirmary, human or otherwise, he takes pride in it." Kedrick's the man who's been looking after me, huh? I'd like to thank him, but I also want to stab whoever kept trying to use magic on me. That reminds me actually.

"Speaking of that, who the hell kept zapping me? I could feel that even through being knocked out, and it stung like a bitch!" I basically demand an answer to the man in a slightly theatrical manner, huffing afterwards. He continues to tap his fingers against the table, humming in thought, a hint of suspicion.

"I'm surprised that you could feel _anything_ Zeke. In truth, the clerics were trying to use healing magic on you to soothe what pain you might have, to heal whatever damage might have been done, and to figure out why you reacted the way you did. Doing so might have made it worse, though, you reacted as harshly to the magical examination. Your friend was very vocal about his dislike of what happened, but one of the visitors who came was more than slightly intrigued by it." He clarifies, that does answer the question of what was happening to my body. I thought basitin bodies were meant to be resistant to magic? Another question that I can't bloody answer, fantastic. What's the chances it was Lucy who was interested? It's more than a little high Zeke, she's weird.

"I don't know anything about why it happened, it just did, and it bloody hurt. What's your name Sir? I don't think you've mentioned it." I ask the man once more, I swear I'm gonna stop asking questions soon, don't smash my head open just yet. He does seem a little surprised, but the moment is brief, passing back into impassiveness soon after.

"My name is Captain Lucas, though I don't imagine why you'd need to know that." He replies, his tone as blank as his voice, it's unnerving, but he does seem like a very logical type of captain.

"Hey, it's nice to have a name to a face, don't you think? And it's better than just thinking of you as 'that captain dude', ya know?" I rebut with a small smile on my face, I truly believe it's at least polite to know a mans' name. Lucas doesn't seem to share the same thought, or at least, he doesn't let it show on his face

"Mn, I suppose not. Is there anything else you want to ask?" I shift awkwardly in my seat and bite my cheek again, there is another question I want to ask, and I hope he does answer cause I've been worrying about it non stop since the fight itself. Fairly sure Edward would kick my ass if I brought it up in front of him.

"Actually, there is one last question. Who was the one that put me into that bed, the one I was in a fight with? He didn't seem very happy with me, he acted like a borderline wild animal, no offence to him though. I didn't want to hurt him, I swear! I tried to talk him down." I feel my voice turn almost shrill at the end in an effort to defend myself, to give my side of the story at least, though I quieten it down with a cough afterwards. Lucas's body posture shifts slightly, though I can't tell much from it still, his face as stoney as ever. It's a better mask than Edwards, or maybe I'm just used to the way he thinks.

"You would be speaking of Alex, he is a.. Dear friend of mine, another man who you rubbed the wrong way when we met, he's always been tempermental. It's unfortunate that you happened to run into him, he's horrible to put down when he's riled up. Don't worry about that though, we'll get it all sorted tomorrow. If that's all, you best get to bed sooner rather than later." He finally finishes and stands upright, a bulb lights in my head. Shit, he knows who I was right? He'll know my name!

"Wait wait wait wait, please, I know I said that'll be my last question, but I _need _to know, what's my name?" I stand up with him and lean my hands onto the table, leaning into him with a desperate stare and a begging voice. He doesn't reply quickly, and I can hear his deep humming in my chest, my ears flicking with apprehension

"...I apologise, Zeke. While you likely had a name of your own, it was never spoken when we met, you never introduced yourself as anything other than a superior after all." He replies in an oddly melancholic tone. I sigh and bite my cheek again, pushing myself off of the table. That's a bloody disappointment

"Well, shit. It was worth a shot, thank you for all of the answers, and I'm still sorry about the whole thing." I give Lucas a small polite bow, disappointment and frustration brewing within my chest. I thought for sure he'd know my name at least. He could be lying, Zeke, he hates you after all, he could be lying to keep you down in the dirt.

"Your apologies are unneeded, but welcomed. You're dismissed, head back to your bed for a night." He says with a sense of finality in his tone, his arm swaying itself towards the door dismissively. I bow to him again before taking my leave, the door thudding shut behind me. I sigh to myself and rub my face. Another bust for your memory, maybe you shouldn't be shredding those books either.

"Follow." Kedrick instructs monotonically as he stiffly marches, back to the medical bay I guess. I blindly follow the man through the unfamiliar hallways and doors.

"Hey, Kedrick. Thank you for helping me tonight, duty or otherwise." I say to the back of his head, the imposing man doesn't stop his march, nor does he show any reaction to my words. I suppose he doesn't need to listen to me, but it's nice to thank him nonetheless.

"In." Another monotone instruction from the man as we finally approach the medical bay. I give him an appreciative nod before walking into the room. Despite being a medic, or a cleric, Kedrick is.. Rather unnerving to be around, I don't recall him saying anything beyond a few scarce words, can his face even make an expression beyond its blankness, is it magic or just him being able to control his face that well? I slip into the bed, a thick sense of weariness washing over me as my eyelids become heavier. I close my eyes shut as I sigh, despite the strange exhaustion, I don't imagine sleep would come to me easy tonight, and there's good reason to believe that isn't there Zeke?


	21. Chapter 21

Much to my dismay, the night truly didn't come easy, the throbbing in my skull a numbing but gradually dull pain. There's a sense of an unease in the air as I lay in the bed, the sheet and robe doing little to warm myself, the morning slowly dawning as a rattling twitching feeling in my chest goes haywire. Whatever sleep I could get was miniscule and a brief respite, I can feel my mood sour further and further as I start to twist and turn in the sheets once again with a deepening frown on my face. Why hell can't I get some sleep? Is it the garb I'm wearing, is where I'm trying to sleep specifically? I've slept on a barrel once, I should be able to handle a bed. It's torturous to keep myself to the thing, time passing so SLOWLY in this pile of garbage room. My fingertips idly scratching and tearing lightly at the sheets as I slowly exhale, looking up to the ceiling and retreating my thoughts into the back of my mind. What's going to be happening Zeke, try to weasel your way out of this mess? You don't have an idea on whether or not it's _actually _going to be okay after all, who's to say that the Templar's aren't gonna double cross you? You'd do the same if you were one of them, you probably have. Why does Lucas seem so willing to help you, it seems so _strange_, he hates you, loathes you! Why would he want to help your furry ass get up and out of here, why would he protect you? Sure Edward would be fine because of his family connection, but you? You're an amnesiac soul displaced abomination trying to peddle yourself as a bastin, you can't even manage to be that! If you do get out of here cause of Edw-

The violent swing of the door slamming open brings myself back to the real world, jolting in fear as I turn to face the intruder, nothing to defend yourself Zeke what are you gonna do? I recognise that face, that hair, it's as if a wave of relief washes over his face as he makes his way towards me, I can't stop the twitching smile at my lips from forming. My mind suddenly feels so much clearer, he's still in the same clothes as yesterday.

"Hey Eddy boy! Now you're probably thinking that I fucked up in being safer, which I did! But I didn't expe-" I let out an oof of surprise as he smothers my face with his chest, his arms clasped around my back as he lifts me upwards. I blink at the sudden and forceful hug, one of my hands awkwardly patting as his shoulder.

"Er, nice to see you again too?" I say in confusion, his grip around my chest only tightening at time passes, a firm and rapid change as he holds tighter and tighter.

"Erk, Eddy, I gotta breath here!" I manage to choke out before coughing onto the man's shoulder, serves him right. As if he only just realises what's going on, he pulls away with an awkward grin on his face, I can finally breathe at least. I shoot him a grin of my own as I lean back into the pillow, hands behind my head.

"What were you so worried about? Did you think some magic would poof me outta existence? You're still stuck with me." I stick out my tongue in a jokingly goading manner, chuckling aloud as he crosses his arms, I can hear his foot tapping against the ground.

"Now is not the best time to be joking around, Zeke, we thought you wouldn't make it. I'm glad you did though." He almost mutters the last part under his breath as he pulls a stool from beside another bed, taking his seat on it. It warms my heart to hear it though, basitin ears baby, my grin turning a bit more soft and genuine.

"I know Eddy, I know. I'm sorry for slipping up like that, I forgot that Templars could use, ya know, magic. It's what these towers are for after all. What happened to me afterwards though?" I both apologise and question my friend, he's owed the apology at least, but I really want to know what happened. Edward shifts in his seat, it seems like he's getting himself all comfortable, sounds like this might be a long story.

"After you two disappeared to have your own fight, the other Templar and I had our own little duel, it was close but he kneeled in the end. He seemed honourable enough in his surrender, so I left him to find out what happened to you. I found, well, I found you lying against the ground, with that other Templar hovering over you with sword in hand. I didn't really think, I just wanted him away from you, nearly tore his head off trying to do that, according to the other Templar. Turns out the captain here was already on his way to check out what was going in with the smithy, he had his suspicions about it all and he had some plainclothes confirm it. He was already coming to confront them, we just happened to be there first." He explains, finishing his story with a deep intake of breath, that's a lot of information to go over. I squirm a little as he mentions Alex and I, I already know what he'd be wanting to do to me, so close and yet so far. Edward went haywire trying to protect me huh? It's heartwarming to know about that, but I still feel guilt brew in my chest as I think over it, you shouldn't have been in that situation to begin with Zeke. Captain Lucas seems smart, burly and scarred but smart, he probably knew about the schtick for a long time.

"I, shit, I'm still sorry that I got caught off guard like that Edward, I promised I'd try to be a bit safer and everything too." I finally say, following it with a half hearted sigh, I struggle to look him in the eye as I scratch at the back of my neck to distract myself from the unease in my chest. Edward smiles surprisingly softly, it's a pensive looking one as if he's reminded of a previous memory, his chuckle lacking enthusiasm.

"I know Zeke, or I figured it anyway. I expected it, but you still worry me anyways, did I ever say you remind me of someone?" I raise an eyebrow, intrigue brewing in my thoughts.

"I don't think you have, maybe? I'm not completely sure, my memory is pretty poor, why the hell are you relying on the amnesiacs' memory? I do remember you saying you'd talk about stuff later yesterday after our spar. We didn't have much of a chance to talk obviously, why do you ask though?" I ask him inquisitively as I push myself upwards, now I'm definitely interested in this. Edwards' smile turns a bit more warm as I tilt my head.

"Yeah, that's part of what I wanted to tell you about. You remind me a little of my brother, a lot of my brother actually, both of you have the same naive peppiness, if you understand what I mean." I blink in surprise, I remind him of his brother? I wasn't even aware he had a brother.

"I can't tell if I feel complimented or insulted, so I'll take it as a compliment. I always thought you were an only child, what's he like?" He's never really opened about his family, other than his uncle and father of course, I almost forgot about the rest of it.

"Very naive, very forgiving and kind to people around him. He's a unique kid, though he was always a little strange, always tried to do well though." Edwards' lips continue its curl upwards as he continues to reminisce about him, it's probably the most I've heard him open up about his family.

"So, I remind you of your little brother? That's why you're that little bit protective over me?" I summarize, Edward shrugging in response.

"More or less, sure you're physically a lot more capable than him cause you're an adult, though given how you act it's an honest mistake to think that you're just pretending to be one, but you have the same charm as him." An odd warmth grows in my chest as I look to the man, his eyes sharing that little happy glee the rest of his face does.

"Awh, Edward you sap, it's always nice to hear you open up about yourself, even though I can tell you're kind of uncomfortable about it." I give him a small ribbing as I lean over and gently nudge his arm with a fist, he scoffs and rolls his eyes.

"Seriously though, I'm glad that you're open about that at least, I know it's hard for you and even though I have a lot of questions, I don't want to force you to feel pressured to answer them. Also here I was thinking that you had _romantic_ feelings for me, that'd be awkward, and I'd feel bad for flirting around." I snicker and burst into laughter as his face turns into a blanch of disgust, groaning loudly as he muffles his face.

"That's it, I'm not telling you about shit again." He grumbles in a huffy tone, giving him an increasingly large grin as I nudge him once more.

"Hey, does that mean the times before where I flirted with you kind of now sounds like an incest type of thing?" I question him again with a faux questioning tone, only bursting back into laughter as he groans again, louder even through the muffling of his hands.

"I kind of wish you were still knocked the fuck out actually, would've saved me from this torment." He says aloud in a deadpan tone, though his one sided smile contradicts his tone.

"You don't mean that, you love me you secret sap bastard. Thanks for coming in for me though, especially so early, do you know how fucking boring it is in here? I miss my cloak, where is my cloak anyways? Who the hell stripped me cause that's on my mind and I'm _extremely_ uncomfortable with the thought that Lucy had a hand in it, please tell me Lucy didn't see anything." I splurge out my questions rapidly, my tone turning pleading towards the end, Jesus Christ if Lucy saw any of me I'd flip my shit. I huff in a petty manner as Edward bursts out into laughter, shoes on the other foot Zeke. It takes a while for it to die down, his wide grin subdued.

"Ahahah, I'd imagine that Kedrick would've done so, Lucas introduced me to him afterwards, I'm surprised a man like him is a cleric of all things. Lucy being here was surprising, but she stood off to the side in case her magic was needed. Which, it wasn't. Zeke, do you have any idea why you're so sensitive to magic? I always thought basitins were resistant to it, but you kind of, well.." He trails off as he looks over my prone body, his hand gesturing to it. I shrug in return, holding my hands up flatly with raised arms.

"Hell if I know, I really don't have the faintest idea. I feel like a basitin in every other aspect, magic just kind of knocks me on my ass," I reply to him, sighing and dropping my arms, thudding the back of my head against the wall gently. "Lucy's gonna have a field day poking and prodding me with whatever she has in that house of hers if she gets her hand on me, that doesn't help my case either."

Edward snickers, his hand reaching over and ruffling my head and hair mockingly, his wide grin back on his face. I pout and stick my tongue out to him, the smug little bastard.

"If you really feel that strongly about her, then I can always beat her off with a stick in your steed, although I do wonder why you feel the way you do." He finishes his sentence with an ever widening smile, looking down on me with it. I blink in confusion before waving my hands in the air defensively.

"It's not like the way you're thinking, she has a vial of my blood on her, she showed me when I ran into her a few nights ago! Why does she have my blood Eddy? What type of fucking cleric just carries blood around on them, why did she have _my _blood specifically? Did she think she was gonna run into me or something? It's a cause for concern for someones' safety, _my safety_!" I blurt out my defense and worry to him, grumbling under my breath as I reach around, tossing my pillow at the laughing mans' face. It harmlessly bounces off of it, much to my dismay, fluffy enough to do no harm but too tough to actually think it's comfortable to sleep on, at least to me. The worst of either world.

The conversation dies down between us, replaced with a content silence as the sunlight continues to pour into the room, it looks a bit more lively in the morning, maybe it's just me. The place still smells like medicine, but oddly I can smell the sea salt scent, is it because of how close we are to the sea, is that news to me or did I only just register it in my mind? I rub at my temples, the headache still there, but it's a lot more manageable now and my mind clearer.

"You feeling alright Zeke?" Edward pipes up suddenly, concerned flooding his voice.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine, I've just had this really weird headache since I woke up. It's better now but I can still kind of feel it." I reply as I look over to him, an inquisitive expression on his face/

"Hm, do you think it's because of the Templar tower? You seem pretty sensitive to magic, oddly enough, and the towers do generate a lot of magic." Edward infers, I assume he knows a small bit about how the towers work. I roll the information around in my head and slowly nod, a small idea forming in my mind.

"Yeah, that makes sense actually. The mana mines below us and the mana storage above would put me in between the two, so whatever leaking energy, or magic, or whatever it'd be called. I think anyways, I have no actual idea beyond spewing potential shit, magic alone is foreign enough to me, let alone an entire tower full of it." I conclude myself and shrug, wincing as a strike of pain goes through my head. That's enough thinking before you hurt yourself Zeke, at least more so anyways. Edwards' raised eyebrow brings my attention back to him, a curious look on his face.

"Zeke, how do you know about the layout of a Templar tower? Sure, I get that you know _what_ they do, but how do you know how they operate, their use? I briefly said that they helped with spellcasting, but I gave no more information than that." Edward grills me as he leans forward, his eyes squinting slightly. I blink, how _did _I know their use? I kind of blurted it out as I was thinking about it. Maybe you spoke a bit too much, Zeke.

"Oh, uh, that's a good question Eddy, I actually have no clue. I just kind of let it out, I've been remembering some things at least and I guess I subconsciously remember that little tidbit?" I reply with confusion of my own, shrugging again. Edward doesn't seem entirely convinced, his eyes looking over my face as I see the gears twisting behind them.

"Zeke, you're a Templar aren't you? Or at least you remember being one, it'd explain how you know about the towers instinctively, even if you don't remember _exactly _how you know it. It'd explain how the people around here reacted to you too, especially the person who attacked you." He continues to question me, his eyes probing my own with an intense staring. I feel the sweat bead on my forehead as the air turns tense. I don't respond, not for a few seconds at least, finally sighing defeatedly.

"I can't say that I'm surprised you pieced it together. Yeah, I used to be, I remember some parts of what I used to do, my tasks and orders and stuff, I guess there's some parts I don't fully remember, but it's at the back of my mind, know what I mean?." I finally explain to him, squirming slightly in the bed as he continues his examination over me, he finally drops the aggressive facade on his face, replaced with one of confusion

"I think I do, but why were you so scared of them then? You were one of them, even if you don't remember, you'd still be a part of them. Why didn't you tell me, either?" He continues to pry and pry, my headache flaring up again. I grit my teeth and try to barge my way through the pain, though, at least for Edward.

"You wanna know why I'm so scared, so fucking terrified Eddy? It's cause I was a genuinely terrible person god dammit and I don't want anything to do with my past beyond knowing it on the off chance that something might bite me in my ass, which _did _happen just yesterday. Whatever I did to Alex, the person I was fighting, it must've been something awful for him to hate me so much, and Lucas here isn't too fond of me either. Yeah, it turns out that I know both of them, I left a _wonderful _lasting impression on them, the only reason I'm still alive is because Lucas for gods-knows-what reason decided that he wasn't gonna crush my skull in my sleep, and god bless that man for it too, I was half expecting him to change his mind and finish me off in this very damned bed. I didn't tell you because the right topic for it never really came up, what was I meant to say? 'Hey I used to be a Templar and chances are most of them might wanna stab me in my sleep, can we do anything but talk to them?'" I finish my tirade with a huff, cursing under my breath as I rub at the growing pain in my temple. Edward sighs himself, pinching the bridge of his nose as he pulls backwards, his brow furrowed.

"By the gods Zeke, some heads up about it all might've helped, sure I wouldn't have willingly taken you to the Templars regardless, but it's the thought of giving some gods damned warning that counts. Listen, I know it's hard to talk about things, and I get that, but I want to _help _you, you absolute idiotic child. I can't do that if you don't fill me in on what's going on, especially when it's so serious. Fuck, if I knew half of what I do now, I'd have stood watch in this room my damned self." His voice is a serious and chiding one, the critical scolding forcing myself to frown. He is right, you know that Zeke, you can't do shit on your own, and if you can't keep a friend in the loop then they can't help either, can they? I roll my thoughts around in my head for a while before sighing, returning to thudding the back of my head against the wall, headache be damned, guilt and confusion stewing in my insides. Why _didn't _I tell him, was it because I was scared of spewing out my insecurities or something? I've told Anna that I've _died_ for gods' sake, would Edward act even half as understanding? I brew in my own thoughts and bite at the insides of my mouth, hissing as I taste copper, shouldn't have bit that hard Zeke.

"You know Edward, I have no god damn clue. I guess I was just worried, not entirely sure on what, but it's the best I got. What if I've managed to do something to one of your family members or friends that'd make _you _hate me? I don't think I'd be able to handle you hating me like that." I finally manage to eke that little rebuttal out though my clenched jaw, my head throbbing in pain again and again. Edward continues to pinch at his nose, sighing once more.

"For fucks sake Zeke. I have no idea why you'd think that, but I can safely assure you that if you did do anything remotely bad to my family, I'd have been aware of that long before we went on this mission." He speaks in a frustrated but resolute tone, his eyes a cold but adamant reflection of it. His lips purse themselves together afterwards as we both look to each other, the guilt in my chest refusing to dissipate. I finally throw my hands into the air exasperatedly.

"Well fuck, maybe I'm just over thinking things, you've already done enough for me as is, and I don't wanna burden you any more. I just, fuck, I think I am over thinking stuff. I'll tell you if anything's on my mind though, I promise, and I'll stick to my promise, if I break it you can stab my legs to get back at me cutting you that one time." I say to him in an equally exasperated manner as my gesturing, Edward seems almost content with that reply, but he rubs at his temple again.

"I'm running out of ways to tell you that you're an idiot Zeke, if I ever had an issue with doing stuff with you and for you, I'd have told you to shove it up your ass, I've done it plenty of times before. I'm not gonna fulfil the second half of that promise, but I will be pretty upset if you keep me out of the loop again. Is there any other discovery that you want to tell me before something else pops up?" He finishes and asks again, an almost joking tone in his voice. Oddly enough, the pressure in my head seems to relieve itself as he gives a lopsided smile, no idea why, but it's like the guilt in my chest lifted itself as well. I guess I was a bit worried over nothing, something I might have to apologise for later on, probably repeatedly. I hum to myself, tapping my finger against the sheets.

"I do, actually." I admit to him, catching him by surprise. He raises an eyebrow but remains silent, shifting in his seat.

"And that's that Zeke?" He questions. I hum to myself and mull it over in my head, should I lay it down lightly, or should I just blurt it all out? Eh, fuck it

"I'm fucking dead Ed. Or rather, I died, but I'm here now, so I'm pretty alive, but I definitely did die. Met the grim reaper and everything, or Death, however you call it here." I finally confess to him. It takes a small while, but Edward suddenly bursts out into laughter, the noise echoing throughout the room. I frown, but I don't speak up, just letting him laugh his lungs out as I tap my fingers against the sheets idly.. He stops soon afterwards, a bright wide grin on his face as he looks over to me, which quickly drops as I continue to look at him.

"Yo- You're serious, you're actually serious?" He asks bewilderedly, I give him a shrug.

"Well yeah, it's kind of important after all, and I'd imagine that kind of falls under 'stuff that's going through my mind and is important to my past', at least I think so, I might be wrong. You feeling okay there Eddy?" I answer his question with a question of my own as I tilt my head. He has his lower face covered by his hands, held up by his knee. It looks like he's just thinking about that little bit of information, I don't exactly blame him for it.

"Sorry just, give me a moment to process that. So you've died, and you've come back to life?" His face and tone seems pretty questioning and sceptical, and I can't say I blame him for it.

"Yeah, kind of anyways, I can't actually remember if I'm myself or someone else. I might be overthinking that too, but the way I think of it is that I've died somewhere else, and then I've been put into this body as a new life type of thing, but I still have memories of my life _here_, so I'm still me from both places. Does that make sense?"

"That makes literally no sense to me at all, so no." He replies bluntly with a deadpan expression. I can't help but chuckle at it, despite what he says, he's taking this pretty well, maybe he didn't mean that in such a humorous way though.

"Can't say it makes sense to me too, I kind of pulled it out of my ass. It's like, two souls becoming one kind of thing, it's why I remember this life more than my other one, as much as I detest learning about my past here cause _god_ I was a prick." I re-explain myself to him, the 'two becomes one' thing seems to make a bit more sense to Edward, at least from what I can tell.

"...Does that make you a zombie or something?" Edward asks, it's both an odd and reasonable question that I can't help but mull over, zombies are just re-risen corpses aren't they?

"I'm surprised you have zombie stories around here, but… I don't think so, I'm still very much alive, and a basitin, just not a really good basitin it seems," I grumble under my breath as I gesture towards myself. "Still don't have a clue for why I got knocked on my ass by magic, might have something to do with the twin souls schtick."

"You are a pretty awful basitin, but you're a pretty good friend despite your whole _thing_." Edward offers as he shrugs. I can't stop my lips from twitching into a smile, he considers me a friend! Fuck yeah! He snickers and rolls his eyes as I give a little victory fist pump, the feel of the room recorected into a happier one, thank god.

"So, does this change anything between us? I'd hate for it to be like that, but it is a pretty big ball to drop." I ask him, apprehension in my chest.

"I don't think so, just something we need to keep a mind on." He answers as he shrugs dismissively. I let out a sigh of relief as the knot in my chest disappears, another worry overcame Zeke, how long can you get away from it all? I blink and snap my fingers, I've forgotten something!

"Oh yeah, what are we doing today? Did Lucas say anything to you about what was happening? Fucker just told me to go to bed and it'd be fine in the morning." I push Edward for an answer, huffing as he snickers over it.

"He didn't say much, just that it would be best to meet with him this morning to discuss it. While we're probably safe, I wouldn't wanna push our luck with him by making him wait for us." I hum and nod along with him, I had more or less the same thoughts. Despite his attempts to be neutral, I can imagine his rage he barely keeps under wraps, my insides jump and jitter whenever I think about it.

"Whelp, lets not keep him waiting then huh?" I ask rhetorically as I push myself off of the bed, standing up straight next him, cracking my bones as I stretch. I look down to Edward, a confused look on his face as he remains seated, raising an eyebrow to him.

"..What? Is there something on my face?" My mocking question seems to bring him out of his confused trance, rushing himself to stand.

"No no, I'm a little surprised is all I thought you'd have trouble walking, you were hurt pretty bad." He explains himself, I let out a small 'ah' of understanding and shake my head.

"Nah, I was walking around fine just last night, other than a limp, it's how I met Lucas after all. After being escorted by Kedrick anyways, every wall looks the same to me so I have no idea where anything is. I can take a hit and keep walking after all Eddy, just hurts a little." Edward still looks unconvinced as he looks up and down my body, but he seems to let it slide without further contest. I follow him out of the medical room, unlike the moody and still silence of last night, the room itself is bustling with movement, the Templars going about their way in a focused manner, little discussion being held beyond subtle mutterings between one another. There's so many, they're so close, how many of them know about me? Did they see what I did to Alex, did I do anything to them? It feels so cold underneath my skin as I blindly follow just behind Edwards lead, my jaw and throat clenching tightly. Don't look at me, don't notice me, don't talk to me, please don't know me, please please plea-

"Zeke?" My name being called brings me back to attention to the world, blinking quickly and shaking my head to clear it. I face Edward, a worried expression on his face, I didn't even notice that he turned around despite following so closely, nor did I feel his hand squeezing my shoulder.

"Huh wha? What's going on?" I feel so dazed suddenly, even through the shaking, the world feels ever so slightly muted to my ears, the edges of my sight blurred. Edwards hand squeezes my shoulder again, my chest untightening and heart beating slower by the second, warmth and feeling returning to my limbs.

"Zeke, are you sure you're okay?" Edward asks me again, keeping his hold on me. My head flares up with pain again before the feeling in the rest of my body comes rushing back, the feeling disappearing as suddenly as it appeared. I shudder and roll my shoulders around, everything's come back down to earth.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I'll be okay, I just wanna get out of here, please?" I whimper to Edward as I shuffle away from the crowd, even though I feel relatively normal, there's still the lingering feeling of nervousness in my chest. I shake my head again and slap at my cheeks, Edward's here Zeke, everything's gonna be fine. Edward himself nods and drops his hand to clutch at my forearm, borderline dragging me away. I stumble initially, but recover enough to keep up with him, the limping of my legs seem to be manageable enough. The Templars we rush past don't seem to take notice of us, or if they do, they mask it well enough for me to not notice any side eyeing, it feels strange to be dragged around like this, but it's better than losing my focus in that room again, and it _is _Edward, so it'll be okay, right?

Much like last night, the travel to Lucas's room is a blur of grey mashed walls and doorways, but I do recognise the hallway at least. While I don't mind Edward grappling me around places, I can't say that I like being dragged, I shake my arm away and out of his grip and roll the shoulder around, the dragging feels like it almost pulled a muscle. Edward stops in his tracks and turns to face me, the concern still plain on his face.

"You okay now?" I nod my head and swallow the lump in my throat, I don't trust my ability to speak just yet, giving him a thumbs up as I do so. He sighs a breath of relief, a smile taking place on his face. "Alright, you worried me there. You zoned out and started to look uncomfortable, so I thought something was up."

There's a small fluttery warm feeling in my chest as he speaks, the smile on his face is infectious and I can't keep it down on my own. I swing my arm around his neck as I stand by his side, bringing him in on a sidelong hug.

"Yeah, I'm better now, thanks for that Eddy. I'll feel better when I get pants on though, do you know how fucking breezy it is near the sea? It's awful, so lets' get this mess outta the way." I snicker as Edward blanches with a displeased look on his face, shoving me off and away from him. With the little incident behind us, we finally approach the door to Lucas's room, office, whatever he'd call it, oddly enough, there aren't any guards placed around the doorway. That's… odd, why wouldn't there be anyone around? Lucas seems like he's more than capable of fighting, but he's still the captain, wouldn't he be protected?

"Is something up Zeke?" Edward suddenly pipes up, bringing me out of my thoughts. I hum to myself as I look up and down the hallway, there's no one else here, and I can't hear nor smell anyone else. Why isn't anyone else here? Is it just how Templars work?

"...Nah, I'm just wondering about Templar stuff is all, I don't think it's anything important. I promise it isn't anything to worry about, ready when you are Eddy." He looks inquisitive, with a frown on his face, but he seems to half heartedly accept it, pushing the door open for the both of us. Just like last night, Lucas is hunched over his desk, examining a page with a keen eye before scribbling on it with a quill. How the hell does a quill work for that? It seems like a lot of effort. It looks like he was expecting us though, there's another seat placed in front of the desk for the both of us.

The only motions of acknowledgement we get from him as we enter the room is the slowing of his writing as he looks upwards to us, quickly looking back down and jotting down a few more words before dipping the quill into a nearby ink pot. We silently take our seats in front of him, the atmosphere in the room suddenly makes this shoddy plain robe feel a lot more inclosed and itchy than before. Jesus, I wish I had my cloak back already, I really do miss the thing. Lucas's small cough brings me back to attention, sitting upright in my chair.

"This is more of a formality than anything, but I'd like to hear your sides of what occurred, yes the both of you, just so I can put it in the paperwork." Lucas's voice is a formally polite but humdrum one, his eye looking between the two of us. We give our accounts on the incident, how we were just walking around town to check out the smithy, meeting with the Templars, what they said, our sides of the fight. Lucas keeps an aloof but attentive ear on the both of us, writing down what I assume to be the details from us, occasionally stopping to wetten the quill tip with ink. We finish both of our tales and politely wait for him to finish his writing, I'm not sure why, but it feels so awkward to be in here doing and saying nothing. I think the lack of guards is on my mind a bit too much, even though by all means _less _guards should be better to me.

"Hey Lucas, what's gonna happen to the two Templars, Alex and the other fellow?" I suddenly ask the captain, Edward side eyeing me with a raised eyebrow.

"Hm? They'll likely be both thrown into jail at least, though I don't have full control over it all. Why do you ask?" I hum and bite the inside of my cheek as the two of them stare at me, my pulse rising. Jeez, glare at me more why don't you, assholes. I scratch the back of my neck nervously, swallowing down the nerves in my throat.

"Well… If you can do anything about it, can you see if you can get them off a bit lighter than normal? At least for them attacking myself, if nothing else." I sheepishly ask of him, it's a tall order after all. Edwards' face turns into a bewildered one, and Lucas raises an eyebrow in return.

"Let them off lightly? Zeke, you go-"

"Yes, I know I got knocked on my ass, I know that I've been stuck in this tower for nearly an entire day, but I still feel bad for Alex at least, I have no idea who the other person is, but he at least had reason to try to go for my throat and I, I dunno, I feel awful about it is all. I don't want him to get into more trouble because of his own hate towards me, because I've done something to him, sure it doesn't excuse the other person, but I feel at least minutely responsible for it for whatever reason." I finally explain my reasoning, Edward still seems to be a mix of confusion and concern, a frown clear on his face, but the strange chuckling brings both of our focus onto him. His chuckling is sparse and low, but it grows louder, turning into a grand uproar of laughter, throwing his head back and bellowing upwards. Edward and I share a confused look, giving him a shrug, what's so funny? Neither of us attempt to stop his laughter, and eventually it eventually dies down, an oddly mirthful expression on his face.

"You, I don't understand you Zeke. You're so awfully childish and naive, it's both shameful and endearing in a way," He turns back to snickering, resting his red face in a hand while Edward gestures theatrically towards him, as if saying 'See!?' when he brings up the whole childish part. I stick my tongue out to him in response, bite me Eddy. "Ah, forgive me, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time, it's so off putting and ridiculous to hear it from you Zeke. Nonetheless, while there isn't too much I can do, I can attempt to lighten their load, _just_ for you."

He finishes himself with another snicker under his breath, it feels so strange to hear it from the man, he's built like a brick wall with a scarred face, but here he is laughing like a man who heard a fantastical story. I shrug, it's the best I can ask of him I suppose.

"Well, that's all I need from the both of you, the two of you really aren't in any trouble, it's less paperwork for me thankfully. Is there anything either of you need?" I hum and tap my fingers against my legs again, feeling the robe beneath my fingers.

"Yeah, actually, where'd you put my stuff? I kind of get the whole robe thing for injured people in the medical bay or whatever you call it, but I'm fine now, and I really miss my pants. Stop laughing Eddy, I really miss my stuff!" I hiss to the chortling man, sticking my finger up to him as he continues to laugh at me, prick. Even Lucas hops in on the snickering, much to my dismay, god dammit.

"Ask around to find Kedrick and he'll escort you to where your belongings are, no one here ought to lay a hand on you if you're concerned about that, and you'll be free to go afterwards. If that's all, you're both dismissed." We stand, Edward and I giving our own forms of saluting and exiting the room as quickly as possible, the man returning to jotting down on another paper.

Edward looks over to me with a worried expression on his face, and I give the man a bright smile and a thumbs up.

"All cleared up thankfully, lets' get outta here Eddy. I'll be fine" I wrap my arms around his shoulders and give him a reassuring squeeze, he returns the favour too as we make our way back to the medical bay, or at least the room just beside it. Gotta ask around for the monster of a man I guess. Today feels like it'd be a good day.


	22. Chapter 22

I yank the last glove of mine onto my hand, flexing my fingers inside of it before patting down my body. I can't stop the grin forming on my face as I look down at myself, seeing and wearing my cloak again feels god damned heavenly, especially after wearing that awful robe. The Templars who directed us towards Kedrick thankfully didn't ask any questions, or recognise who I was, the brawny looking man brought us both to a small storage house for non-Templar equipment outside of the tower. Why there's a separate storage shack under Templar ownership with _non _Templar equipment is both disturbing and not something I have a good answer to, but I couldn't care less at the moment, I got my goddamn cloak back! I lean down and sniff at it as it hands from my body, blanching slightly, for some reason it smells like fish, I don't really think of it as a bad smell, but it's rubbing me the wrong way_._ I try to swallow down the distaste for the smell though, I'm just thankful to have this back, a nice and warm albeit stinky green blanket from Anna, god bless her soul for this still. I hum a happy beat to myself and scratch at the chain mail underneath my shirt as I force the open and into the fresh air, the cool breeze washing over me once again. I shake my head to clear it and look around, Edward's leaning up against the wall next to me, looking up and down at me as he smiles lightly.

"All nice and comfortable again Fuzz?" He asks in an almost sarcastic tone, to which I respond with a gleeful grin despite his half mocking voice.

"Eddy, you have no idea how uncomfortable that god damned robe was, it's such a delight to be wearing _pants _let alone this nice ass cloak. I will never forget the pleasure of pants, do you know how fucking windy it can be near the sea?" I retort to him, a half legitimate seething in my tone, I genuinely loathed that thin robe, and I'm far beyond just glad to be back in my regular gear. Edward chuckles at my rant as he approaches, his face turning upwards and sneering before leaning back in and sniffing at the air.

"...Why does it smell like fish?" He asks slowly while he moves away, turning his nose up further. He suddenly turns his back to me, a sudden march upwards and into the down, I hurry myself to his side to keep up with him, ignoring his probably faux retching. It doesn't smell _that_ bad, if I can stand it then so can other people, hopefully anyways.

"Listen Eddy, I'm not gonna ask questions, I'm just thankful that I have everything in tact and I'm out of the tower. My head doesn't feel like it wants to explode too, so that's a plus. I'll deal with the cloak smell later, or it might rub off of itself on it's own. Back to other things though, whats' been happening with Gerome and stuff? I haven't really had the chance to keep up with them." I shrug as I answer him and redirect a question his way while we continue to make our way through the town, it's still an early morning, and the scent of the sea and the mist of the morning still reigns around the streets. Much to my surprise, the streets are lacking in anyone else walking around, no humans or keidrans, slaves or otherwise. I'd have thought that there'd at least be someone working in the early morning, but not even a soul.

"I luckily managed to find the two of them late last afternoon after I was booted from visiting you when you were still, well, unconscious. I filled them in on what's happened and told them we'd see them before midday, they're still wanting to stay in Wreathwood for another day to deal with business, so we're leaving tomorrow midday at the earliest, they do wish to leave later into the day for whatever reason. They seem to be well, though I'm not sure what they've been up to, I don't trust Gerome to keep his hands out of the dirt for obvious reasons." He finishes his speech, it sounds as if he's recited something similar plenty of times before, his voice falling back to that guardsman tone. I hum to myself as I continue to look around the streets, still no idea where I am, good job Zeke. At least I can take this time to mentally write down where this part of town is, it shouldn't be too hard to navigate this place after all.

"Why are we meeting up with them? Not that I _mind _it or anything, I like Gerome plenty, and I tolerate Vector even though he seems to be _awfully _conversation adverse to literally anyone but Gerome, the weirdo," I ask him as we continue to make our way through the streets, it's almost creepy how almost lifeless this part of town is, a chill creeps up my spine. Is today a special occasion, or is there something else going on? "What's with everyone being gone around here? It's kinda creepy."

Edward raises an eyebrow as he side eyes me, eventually shrugging and redoubling his efforts on his focused march. I yelp and hurry myself to keep up with the man, why the rush? He waves his hand dismissively before I can get out the question though.

"I don't know why you feel the need to reassure that you don't dislike them, but I'm sure at least Gerome appreciates you, less so of Vector, that mans' always been a little quiet. Gerome mentioned to me that he wanted to talk to you yesterday is all is all, turns out he wanted to speak to you beforehand, but wasn't given the opportunity to do so. As for the quiet around here, it might have something to do with the day, most people take the end of the week off to relax after all." He answers helpfully. I hum and roll the information over in my mind, what would Gerome want from me? If he needs something done then I'd be fine with helping him out, I just hope it's not entirely exciting or something that'd brush alongside the Templars, I think I've had enough of that for this week. Does that mean it's Sunday today? I haven't really been keeping up with dates, then again, I don't think I've really bothered to look at one, at least outside of the dream diary thing. Hm, speaking of Gerome actually...

"Hey Edward, what do you think of Gerome? I don't recall you two talking to each other much casually." I try to ask him gently, tilting my head inquisitively, I don't want to seem as if I'm prying into their personal relationship with each other, at least not so bluntly, but I don't think I managed it well. Edward rolls and scoffs, his hands clasping themselves behind his back formally.

"He and I? I don't particularly enjoy his presence, he always skirts on the edge of the law of the land, and whenever we _do _seem to find something that'll nail him, he tends to get off lightly if at all punished. I don't speak to him off of work either, and I don't see a reason to." He replies sourly, a grimace on his face. I frown myself and rest a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I soured your mood or anything Eddy, I was curious is all. What do you mean by he gets off lightly, though?" I ask him again, my ears twitching as I hear murmurings from the streets beyond. So there's _some _people out and about today, that little fact seems relieving at least.

"Pfeh, he's a smuggler of both illegal goods and free keidran, doing either of which would put him away for a long time, but he does both almost freely. I've no clue on how he gets away with it beyond my uncle being a little too light on him." His lips are terse, and I can see his hands clench behind his back. My ears droop as I tilt my head to him once again.

"I think your uncle and Gerome know each other from elsewhere, but I can't say that confidently. Why do you support keidran salvery anyways?"

"Why wouldn't I? They're barely human, and it's law, you should know that by now."

"So what if it's law? That doesn't make it _right_, Edward, have you ever actually looked at one of them, into a slaves deadened eyes? Have you ever tried to have a discussion with one of them, slave or otherwise?"

"Why are you bringing this up Zeke? What's the point of it?"

"The _point _is that I don't get why you dislike them so much Eddy, they're still human in their own way, even if they're kind of just furry humans, it's not humane to treat them like that!"

"Pfeh, they're far from human, Zeke. They're primitive and barbaric, they're not human in the slightest."

"What about me then Eddy? Am I some sort of sub-human that's below you too then? I'm not a human after all."

"This again? Come on Zeke you know you're different, you're a basitin, not a keidran."

"That's besides the fucking point Eddy, you know what I'm trying to get at. I'm not human and you know that I'm never going to be one, not anymore at least. So why am I different then? Is it because I remind you of your little brother? It doesn't make me any more human than a keidran."

"That's exactly why you're different you dolt, even if you're not human, you're still similar enough so that I can kind of look over it. That and the fact that you've proven that you're not like _them_." What the fuck is he talking about? Does he not hear just how _stupid _he sounds? I let out an aggravated huff as my hands clench and unclench, the blood in my veins boiling, what sort of reasoning is this? It's so, what's the word, biased I think? You can't just pick and choose like that, it's not right dammit!

"By the fucking gods Edward, are you listening to yourself? I'm an exception cause I've 'proven' myself? Why can't you extend the same to the rest of them, why can't you can at least start with Kathrin? I know that you're just trying to treat her politely because I'm around, at least from what I've seen, and I can safely say she's a nice girl. Listen, I know I got shot in the leg by one and you're _probably _still upset about it, but _I'm _the one that was shot, and I don't even blame either of the keidrans for it, they're just as scared as you probably are!"

"Drop it, Zeke." His tone is a barely bubbling flatness, the heat in my chest rising as I give him a nudge into his shoulder, my frown on my face deepening

"Why should I? I get that you're proud and stuff, and you abide by whatever law's in this world, but even you can bend it somewhat for your own gain, even if it's only because your uncle told you to. It's just stupid to me to is all, does it have something to do with your mo-" I yelp in surprise as Edward suddenly shoves me against a wall, his hands clamping down on my shirt as he drags my face closer to his, a sneer on his lips as he brings his face closer to mine. The cold clutches my chest as he looks down on me with a raging glare beneath his eyes, his hot breath rough and uneven with a barely contained anger that I can almost physically _feel _from him.

"Don't. Fucking. Bring her up, do you understand Zeke?" He asks irately, his eyes beading down on my own as he brushes his forehead against mine. I swallow the lump in my throat and barely suppress the whimper in my chest, my limbs suddenly encompassed with an unfeeling chill. I feel my mouth gape open and close repeatedly, but I can't force the words out, instead I give the furious man a quick repeated nod of my head. He holds me still and against the wall for a few moments longer, his hands clenching at my shirt before suddenly dropping me, thudding against the ground unceremoniously. I rise to my feet afterwards, wincing and rubbing at my pained rump before limping after Edward, the man already marching.

"H-hey wait a second, come back! I didn't really mean to upset you or anything, I'm sorry that I did, come on Ed-"

"Shut it, keep moving" He cuts me off, silencing me with a monotone voice. I bite down on my lips and remain quiet, trudging myself along to follow the glowering man. Stupid stupid, stupid fucking Zeke, what the fuck was that? You _didn't _expect him to be pissed after you tried to ask him something like that, the fuck were you thinking? You tried that before, remember? He reacted just as irked as he was then, arguably even more so now. Did you think that'd randomly work? Why are you trying to pry into his personal life with so little regard in how he feels? Stupid fucking man. I bite down on my cheek and swallow the hollow gape in my throat and continue to drag my feet behind Edward. His shoulders are upright and he strides with a furious purpose, stomping along the dirt ground, and I can't help myself from slouching, rubbing at my own hands to return some warmth to them. Should I say sorry? Or try to? Of course you can't Zeke, not at the moment, you've already fucked it up enough, just stay quiet for everyones sake.

The sounds and smell of the sea feels so muted and dull to my senses as I mindlessly continue to follow Edward, staring a hole into his back. Come on Edward, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, I won't do it again, I promise! I can keep my mouth shut, you can hate the keidran all you want, hate the basitins too if you don't like them either! The tears sting at my eyes as I sniffle, rubbing my hands over my eyes to try to save some of my face at least, the leather's uncomfortable to rub my eyes against. The remainder of the walk is a tense and uncomfortable silence, Edward smoldering in his rage as I meekly trod behind him, we walk past the docks, the washing sounds of the sea provides no comfort at the moment. I finally look up ahead of us and over the head of Edward, both of us approaching a large and sturdy box shaped wooden warehouse, it looks like a warehouse anyways. The building question in my throat dies out and turns into a suppressed whine in my chest. What do you think we're doing here Zeke? Think that Edward's finally sick of us, finally lied to us to take us out? The waters can sweep away that worthless body of yours pretty quickly, what if you ju-

"We're here," Edwards' voice is a gruff and dry one, it brings me out of my thoughts as I stifle a small yelp of surprise. We both stand in front of a warehouse, there's no indication on what it's used for, a very simple and very plain warehouse, though it's at least well made. I bite the insides of my cheek, stepping from foot to foot, I can't stand still, I can't keep still, what's going on now? Edward twists his head slowly and stares at me with blank eyes, an equally blank expression on his face. "What are you waiting for? Get in there."

He kicks at the door to the warehouse with his boot, it shudders at its hinges but remains steadfast afterwards, my drooping ears twitching as he turns and walks back into town.

"H-hey, wait a sec, aren't you meant to be coming in with me?" I ask in a gentle and quiet voice, eyes shifting from the door to his back. He stands still for a second, his hands digging into his pockets as his head twists once again, the blank eyes of his boreing a hole into mine. I can't keep eye contact with him, my eyes darting away from it and towards the door, I can't force myself to look at him.

"I'm busy with my own things, you handle it ." I can hear him scoff disdainfully as he continues to march away, I can't face him, just look at the door like the coward you are, look away from the mess you've made. Tsk, did you really think he'd willingly follow you in there to do work with someone he's _already _said he detests? You really are stupid aren't you?

I sigh to myself and clutch at my skull, slapping the sides of it with a hand and shaking it, get in there Zeke. I wince at the sudden throb in my skull, can't shake that away Zeke, yanking the door and throwing myself into the dark. I try to blink away the creeping shadows as I look around the room, the only source of light is a flickering from somewhere beyond, the light only barely visible above crates and other covered objects. I can almost physically feel my eyes become more accustomed to the dark, it's not quite lighter, but it's definitely more manageable, the stumbling around the dark and the kicking of scattered things becoming less frequent as I make my way around the crates. A chill creeping up my spine, my ears twitching as I look behind myself, a creaking sound in the air, there's footsteps too. My teeth chatters as I rub my hands together, everything's so cold, my fingers feel so god damn icy, what does Gerome want to be doing here? Is this a ploy from him to remove us? Was Edward in on this too, what did you do to tick Gerome off like this Zeke? Every minuscule sound echoes in my skull as my ears twitch horridly, a grinding sound in my skull. I droop my ears and cover my head with my hood, whimpering as I barge and shove my body past and through some crates. It's so loud, so dark, what's going on? Did they want this to happen, is this some sort of sick fucking joke from the gods above, or from the people I wish to call friends? My legs give way as I crumble into a ball, tugging at the hem of my hood as my chest fills with an iciness, a stutter in my breathing as my eyes tear up once more, glaring straight down into the floor. F-fuck, why is it so cold suddenly? Why can't I get up? Can't you stand on your own two feet Zeke? What's wrong with you, why do you fuck every thing up so much, why can't you be a normal bastin? My teeth chatters as I struggle back to my feet, barely heading the dulled noises from somewhere in the room as I rest on a crate, rubbing my hands on my furred arms vigorously, stupid fucking cold.

"Oy, young Zeke?" I yelp as a voice pierces through the chill, hopping off of the crate and facing towards the source of the nose. I blink away the blur in my eyes and refocus my eyes, standing upright.

"F-fuck Gerome, couldn't have p-picked a warmer place could you? S-shits freezing." I barely manage to eke out through my chattering teeth.

"Oy, will you being okay young Zeke? You shivering like a child in the north! Come, be following Gerome." He reaches out a hand and brushes it over my shoulder, yelping as he does so, a feeling of fright bursting in my chest. I pull away from him, a concerned expression on his face as the chill runs through my body once again.

"N-no touching, I'll be f-fine, just get me a f-fucking flame or something." I hiss at the fellow foreigner, he grimaces, but he doesn't attempt it again, instead just keeping an eye on me as he guides our way through the strew of boxes and crates, everything looks the damned same. I shiver whenever he looks back to me, why is he looking at me? What's he planning under his faux concerned mask of his, the normally jovial looks so scheming now, in a room as dark and difficult to navigate as this, who knows what he's planning? It's a thankfully short walk, eventually we manage to reach the circle in the middle of the room, surrounded on all sides by covered crates, in the middle of the circle sits a low hanging lamp, an open and wild flame flickering above its cage.

I can't see anyone else, Vector must be elsewhere, but I hurry myself towards it, taking a quick seat next to it and tearing my gloves off and throwing them onto the ground next to me. I nearly throw myself into the fire, hovering my hands and darting it in and out of the flames. I let out a sigh of relief as the chill from before dissipates from my limbs and chest, the harsh warmth of the fire is a graceful replacement for it. I both hear and see Gerome silently sit on the opposite of myself, a final shuddering breath escaping my lungs. I continue to roll my hands in the fire, hissing as the scorching feeling burns at it, yanking my hands away from the flames. I shake my hands to the side and give a hearty sigh, pulling my gloves back on, the chill creeps back into my chest, but at least it's more manageable, even if my teeth are still chattering.

"F-fuck, sorry about that Gerome, I'm still fucking freezing, what the hell do you want from me?" I question the man in a huff, still rubbing up and down my arms. I'm surprised with how bitter the words from my lips sound, but I can't help that too much.

"Ick, don't be sounding so down young Zeke, is something happening? Where is young Edward too?" He rebuts my question with a question of his own. Fucking Edward, I feel my face morph into a scowl as the last image of the man appears in my mind, the lifeless and dead stare from him, the prick. The heavy feel of regret still weighs in my chest, despite how angry I feel about the stubborn man. You still fucked up Zeke.

"Tch, he's not joining for this, he has o-other things to do. What do you need from me Gerome?" I ask again, trying to keep a more level headed tone this time around, don't get angry at your friend for your mistakes Zeke, he deserves that anger. Gerome hums to himself, a finger of his tapping against the stone cold floor beneath us.

"If you're sure you can be handling it. If you can't be doing it then Gerome understands. I need, ah, what do you be calling it, a bodyguard? Just need to be visiting some unsavoury seeming friends, you understand da?" He answers, at least he's finally filled in the bloody question. I shiver and look over the man, does he really not feel this chill? Is it just me? Deh, fucking pain in the ass. I sigh to myself and rub my face with a free hand, the other still rubbing at my forearm

"You're gonna kill me with these little requests of yours, but fine. Just let me get my sword from Erics and I'll come back as soon as possible." I reply to him, mulling over the whole schtick mentally. Bloody Gerome, I swear to god if I get stabbed, or have to stab someone else, then I'm gonna get pissed. Geromes visage becomes a tad more sullen when I bring up Eric though, a frown on his normally lively face.

"I've been hearing that you two were resting at Erics, da." He says slowly, as if he's carefully picking what words to say, a low and heavy tone from him.

"Yeah, I've heard about you and Eric don't get along, what's up with that?"

"Eric does dealings that I do not be liking of, keidran lives are… One that the Old Mother loved, they gave us a chance in the frozen north. I can not be doing dealings with a man who sells them like stock. You understand, da?" He explains again, equally as slowly as before, but I can feel the barely bubbling anger beneath what he says. I bite at my cheek as I tap the stone floor, fuck, can I really take this job? It'd be a million times easier with Edward. But he's not gonna want to help you, Zeke. I give Gerome a nod and stumble to my feet, my legs still feel numb, but I can at least stand upright.

"Right, I'll just climb the boxes and jump back to the front, I kind of wish that I could have done that initially. Why the fuck did you choose this warehouse to meet up anyways?"

"It is good for being out of the way, da? People don't be looking into random warehouses."

"So you chose a random warehouse to host a meeting that's meant to be hush hush, but why do you have a torch on? Why do you have a torch one in a _wooden _warehouse surrounded by _wooden _and _flammable_ things, I assume you wanted me to know where you kind of were, but why wouldn't you do it in an area that's easier to find?" I pry and poke at Gerome for an answer of some kind, did it just slip his mind that wood is flammable? He could've burned down the whole fucking warehouse! Both of us remain still for a few moments, a hand to Geromes face in thought before he shrugs, a mocking innocent grin on his face. I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose, now I really wish I could mash my face into the ground.

"Right, whatever then. I'm gonna leave. Meet me out the front in a few minutes, I won't be long." I state, a tinge of annoyance spiking through my skill as he waves me away, that grand grin still on his face. I grumble underneath my breath as I leap onto the crates, sending a prayer to whatever gods are above that they don't crumble underneath me as I continue to jump to the top, thankfully reaching it without incident and dropping down to the front. I land with a small grunt, my legs feel shaky, but I feel fine otherwise. I push open the door and outside, the breeze still feels like it does little for me. I try to face the sea, but looking into the deep blue ocean feels unnerving to look into.

The sea, it's so vast, what if your body was left to float in it from a swift stab in your back Zeke? The chances that someone does find your body is pretty slim, if you'd at all be recognisable, the sea is pretty salty. I shake my head, clutching at it with a hand. Fuck, what's with these thoughts? Are they my own, or are they a little voice in my head speaking the worst? Is that still me, am I rightfully scared of my mistake? Edward, he still likes me right? A lonesome feeling brews in my chest, going from clutching my skull to my shirt instead, the phantom feeling of Edwards hands shoving me still lingers. It was just a small little fight, a small little slip, that's not the end right? God, I hope not.

"Hiya!" A sudden voice brings me out of my thoughts, a shiver going up my spine. I twist to face whoever spoke, a familiar pale face with hazel eyes filling my view. I let out a small yelp as I leap away, the small girl giggling away with a wide grin on her unblinking face.

"Jesus Christ Lucy, how long have you been there? The hell are you doing here anyways?" I question the girl, quickly recuperating myself and standing upright, looking down on the girl. She looks up with the same grin on her face, though she tilts her head.

"What's Jesus Christ? Anyways, I was just so happening to pass by is all, and I wanted to check up on my favouritest basitin!" She chirps cheerfully, swaying left and right with her hands clasped behind her back. Does she have something behind her back, what's her plan? What's she doing? I exhale a frustrated sigh as I cross my arms, raising an eye to her.

"I think I'm the only bastin you actually know, Lucy. I also don't trust that in the slightest, what are you actually doing here?" She continues to grin much to my displeasure, a spike of annoyance going through my head once again.

"Aw, come on Zekey! I just saw you around and wanted to catch up with ya is all, how are ya?"

"If you must know, Lucy, I feel fine. I'm just doing something for a friend, which I _really do _need to focus on, can you move now?" She hums to herself and rests a finger on her cheek, a thoughtful look on her face."

"I wanna know whatcha up to first! It's not that important, is it Zekey?"

"It's a favour for a friend, that's all I'm going to tell you, can you move it now?"

"Aw, you're no fun now! You seem a lot different too, what's up? Where's that Edward boy you normally hang with? I saw him stomp off a bit ago!" My blood chills as I glare down to her, my hands clenching on my arms as I grit my teeth into a scowl. Shes' been stalking you Zeke, she's trouble, what does she know about you? She's a strange one, but that doesn't mean she's not potentially dangerous.

"_That _is none of your concern, Lucy. Now move aside, I have things I need to grab." I firmly shove her to the side, trying my best to lessen the force behind my arm as I do so. She lets out a small yelp of displeasurement and disapproval as I make my way past her.

"Hey, Zeke ya dummy! Are you looking for this thing?" I raise an eyebrow as my ears twitch, looking behind to face her. She giggles as she swings her arms to the front of her chest, revealing my sheath, sword and all still in it. I jolt backwards in surprise, pointing a finger towards her.

"How the fuck do you have my sword, how do you know I needed it?" I furrow my brows as I glare her down, still shoving my digit at her accusatively. How long has she been stalking me, when has she had the chance? Does she listen in to what I chat about too? She giggles again and strides confidently up to me, throwing the sword upwards. I fumble around with it in my arms as I unceremoniously catch it, scowling as I look towards her face, grinning smugly. She steps to the tip of her toes and softly baps at my nose with a finger, giggling again as my nose crinkles.

"Don't ask questions ya mightn't like the answer to, deary, good luck~!" She gives a mocking salute as she cheerfully departs, skipping her way past me with a bubbly whistling back into town. I blink as I look at her backside, then back to my sheath, grumbling as I latch it onto my belt, side eyeing the warehouse door as it squeaks open. Gerome looks surprised as he looks to me, though he does grin jovially.

"Oy, young Zeke was quick!" Geromes surprised face turns to one with a jovial grin on it, wrapping his arms around my neck with a hearty laugh. I huff and firmly nudge his arm off of my neck.

"Where're we going old man?" His face morphs into one of faux hurt, his hand resting on his chest.

"Oi, young Zeke is rather, how do you say, spiky today? Is joke of course, Gerome be meetings with friends outside of town." He thankfully informs, I give him a nod and look upwards towards the hill leading down to the town, separated by that river.

"Right. Lead the way then." He doesn't respond to that verbally at least, thank god, instead taking the lead. I follow behind the man at an arms length distance, a sword gripping at my hilt. There's a niggling sensation in my head. I don't trust this in the slightest.

Lets' get it done Zeke. Don't fuck up


	23. Chapter 23

The sun reaches its peak in the sky above, bearing down with an intense glare, its rays mitigated by the shade gifted by the trees. I sit cross legged with my hands resting on in my lap, tapping at my legs idly as I gaze to the sky. We've been waiting on the outskirts of town for at least an hour now, the waiting's getting on my nerves, it's not as if I had other plans for today but being stuck around here for so long is irksome. Gerome paces back and forth, gazing past the treeline and into the deep woods before returning to his back and forth. It's strange to see the normally boisterous and high spirited man squirm like this, it's funny in its own way though.

"Jeez, don't tell your friend to be _too _hasty, I might break a leg if we move this along too fast." I say aloud in a mocking tone laced with sarcasm, sighing and leaning my head backwards, thudding it against the tree as I lay my legs outwards, grunting and stretching. Gerome mumbles under his breath and continues his pacing with a renewed vigour, moving himself faster with seemingly nervous energy.

"Never been so late, where are they?" My ears twitch as I pick up his muttering, which quickly turns into a barrage of incomprehensible blabbering in his foreign language, his fish smashing itself against a tree trunk with a frustrated but muffled scream, sounds like he's screaming behind closed lips. Never seen him so angry too, at least outwardly so, I don't imagine that he slips into his first language too much. I raise an eyebrow at the show of aggression, chuckling under my breath as he nurtures and rubs at his hand.

"Wood does kind of hurt Gerome, you probably shouldn't be trying to do that." I tease the man as I hop to my feet, stretching myself once more, my bones shouldn't be cracking as much as they do, but it's a pleasant feeling. I bite at the inside of my cheek as I look over to the pondering man, sighing as he continues to pace back and forth, it's almost getting on my nerves at this point with how little it does beyond wasting energy. I make my way up to the man and clasp a hand on his shoulder, I can feel him jump slightly beneath my grip, giving him what I hope to be a reassuring squeeze.

"What friends of yours are we waiting for, old man? Ya know, name, personality, that type of stuff, and take a seat too, it's not a good idea to go and strain yourself with worry and stress so much." I nudge my head towards a shaded spot at the base of a tree, squeezing at his shoulder once again. I'm trying to get the man to calm down, at least a little, even if I'm pissed that I've had my fucking time wasted waiting for his friend to appear, I already know that I'll have that lingering sense of guilt if I take it out on Gerome, or even show it to him. Gerome lets out an uncharacteristic heavy sigh, fingers rubbing at his temple before his shoulders sag. He does eventually resign himself to taking a seat at the base of a tree, I take a spot next on the tree next to him, leaning against it with crossed arms.

"Oy, Gerome is sorry about all this, young Zeke. We are waitings for friend named Valerie, another raised by old Mother, she is having friends of her own." He explains, still twisting his head and looking around, I assume he's doing it to be alert on the off chance that he notices any indication of their arrival. I nod along with him, another friend huh? Valerie, that's a strange name, probably another northern thing, hopefully his 'friends' don't bring trouble. It'll be interesting to meet him I suppose, I can only hope that it doesn't end up with something fucky happening, I've had enough excitement in or around human towns for the week, I just want a few days where I don't get kicked in the ass by others or by my own inability to handle myself. I wince and clutch at my head as the memory of Edwards' furious face passes in my mind, I get it, I already fucked up today. I don't need reminding.

"Hopefully they show up. Who's the old Mother you keep talking about? Can't remember if you told me about her honestly." I bite down the sour feeling in my throat and attempt to sound at least mostly neutral as I ask him the question. I see a small smile appear on Geromes face, a seemingly more genuine one than the grins that normally appear.

"Old Mother was mother to many, the north is chilly, cruel and harsh. Old Mother had dream of warmth, and gave it to many children as she could, many more than I can remember now. Gerome _is _old man, sadly." He chuckles sadly, voice filled with a type of melancholic tone as he looks to the sky, his smile turning sad. It sounds like the old mother he's talking about was someone who adopted him and others into her care, the north does sound pretty cold, how did she manage to feed so many kids as well as herself? Must've taken some determination, and a shitload of luck, what about those keidran from up north? I look over his mostly unfocused face, didn't think I'd see the old man reminiscing like this.

"She sounds like she was a wonderful person, Gerome. She's not around anymore, is she?" He sighs and looks down from the sky, slowly nodding before looking up to me, there's a morning feeling behind his eyes.

"She was, da, she was." He replies simply and morosely, turning silent afterwards. We're both quiet for a while, before he chuckles suddenly, hopping to his feet.

"Oi, look at Gerome, all saddened, Mother kept family safe through the mess, can't be letting her down now, da?" He forces a happier looking smile on his face, standing up straighter. He's trying to force himself to look presentable, more like the way he normally seems.

"Gerome, there isn't anything wrong with being sad over a lost loved one, it's only human after all. How did your mother look after you and others anyways?" I continue to ask him, I try to give him some reassurance too, I don't remember if I've lost anyone, but I can at least feel for the man.

"Old Mother was good friends with many many keidrans, coats fluffier than anything humans can be making here! They very friendly with old Mother, and very friendly with the rest too, all helping make sure there's food for all, and warmth." Hm, makes' sense that they'd band together to take care of each other, and the young ones too. How long ago would this have happened, I wonder. Sounds like a 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' type of relationship between the groups, if the keidrans were made to live in the frozen north, then they'd definitely be fluffy beyond belief. A part of me really wants to see how they'd look.

"I see. You brought up keidrans a bit ago when I mentioned Eric, I assume that's why you hold them in such a high regard then?" Gerome nods in response as he closes his eyes, letting out a relaxed sigh, his lips twitching upwards. I bite the insides of my cheek as I slump onto the ground, releasing my own breath.

"For what it's worth, Eric at least seems kind enough to his slaves. But that doesn't make the slavery of their kind not a disgusting blot on the world, I just don't understand it." It's a relief to know that there's someone else who shares the same view as me in this world, not even _Edward _has that, and he's meant to be my best friend here. Tsk, don't act like you didn't fuck up Zeke, he might have issues but you're not free of your own mistakes.

"Da, is very bad, old Mother would have heart attack if she saw any of it." He chuckles sadly. The silence afterwards is at least not unpleasant, though I feel my mind stray back to Edward. Stupid fucker, and stupid me too. I hope he's okay, I really really hope so, I'd never forgive myself if he ends up hurt cause I made him mad. He does have a better hold over himself than me, at least, maybe that'll make a difference. Pfeh, there's no point in worrying about it now, or caring about much of anything. Just apologize to him when you get the chance, idiot. Gerome suddenly pushes himself to his feet, I quickly follow suit as I follow his line of sight. A single lady sauntering down the hill, leather boots crushing the sticks and leaves beneath her.

Black pants hug at her legs with a brown coat hanging loosely over her shoulders, left wide open to expose a plain creamy white shirt, straps holding the chest of it together, not too dissimilar to how buttons would work honestly. Her face is tanned a deeper colour than what's normal here, smattered lightly with a black dusting sticking to the skin, stringy looking black hair done up in what looks like a hastily done ponytail, her deep blue eyes lazily staring in front of herself as she fingers the hilt of her sword, a curved one at that. Looks like a cutlass of some kind, judging by the hilt and the gentle curve towards the tip of the blade, she's giving off a very pirate-esque type feeling from how she looks. I guess pirates _do _exist here, at least in some aspect.

"Young Zeke, please don't be saying too much for you, just be keeping eyes out for Gerome, da?" He whispers harshly to me, and with little warning makes his way to approach her, his sober expression wiped clean and replaced with a friendlier one. The lady eyes light up as she notices Gerome and I approach, a playful glint in her eye as she looks over the both of us, a small but smug looking smile forming on her face. I don't know her angle, or her capabilities, and Gerome seemed awfully forceful behind staying silent. Fine by me really, I don't want to talk to begin with, more I keep my mouth shut the less of a chance that something fucks up.

"Hello Gerome, my little deary, it is _such_ a pleasure to see you once again, it feels like it's been oh so long~ Who's your little friend here, hm?" Her voice its a silky smooth, but with a sense of hardiness beneath it, looking up to me with her smirk and half lidded eyes. She's trying to pry some information out of you Zeke, keep your mouth shut. I don't answer her, instead focusing on looking her down as I rest a hand on the hilt of my sword. I'm not here because I want to be here lady, I'm here out of obligation, just do your business and don't talk to me.

"Oi, miss Valerie, don't be doing such japeings with young Zeke here, is only here because of myself, da? Do you have what we are needings?" Gerome quickly butts in, pulling the pirate ladys attention away from me. So this pirate looking bitch is Valerie huh? I wonder if she was brought up alongside himself and the mother he's been talking about. She doesn't speak like Gerome in the slightest, she sounds a lot more rugged than most women around here. Valerie lets out a small huff, her thick lips pouting as she crosses her arms under her chest.

"Awh, why do you have to be such a fun killer Gerome? I'm just trying to be friendly, nothing wrong with that~ And I do, of course it's not on me right now, bringing it so close to a town with such a heavy Templar influence would be rather unwise. I'm _so _sorry, but you'll hafta follow myself to our little makeshift encampment." Her tone of voice is anything but apologetic as she gives the both of us a smug look, her full lips selling the mockingly superior look. I squint my eyes and look into her own as she looks over myself, it's an almost uncomfortable leering, what's she planning? Gerome groans and rubs his hands over his face, covering his lips. I can imagine that he doesn't want to show that he's none too pleased about it.

"Doing so much walkings is a pain on Geromes back, I'm thinkings you do this intentionally, Valerie." He half heartedly accuses the lady with a humourless sounding chuckle, Valerie responding with a more heartier chortling, a hand raised to her lips as she continues to stare. Why she's keeping her eyelids half open is beyond me, I don't trust this bitch as far as I can throw her. Then again, I did throw that magi brother pretty far that one time, what was his name again? I think it was Nat, a strange name for a strange brother. I feel my blood flare up and boil as I remember _them_, tsk, maybe I'm not completely over it all. A part of me hopes that they're doing alright though, not too unlike the hope for Edward too, such a weak feeling. God dammit Zeke.

"Awh, such a poor old man~ You could _always_ just leave your little bodyguard here to take it in your place, don't worry, I'll be easy on him~" She giggles as she looks up to me, giving me a wink. I let out a heated huff and clench my hand over the hilt of my sword, squinting and glaring the girl down. I'm _really not _in the mood for this, lady. I bite my tongue though, an awkward silence permeating the air around us, her smug twitching downwards every so often. She finally relents, sighing and dropping her attitude, replaced with a more steely expression as she places her hands on her hips.

"Jeez, no wonder you picked this fuzzball up, he's about as fun as you old man. Cmon, I'll take you to your little 'package', no tricks, unless you try something yourself." Despite her aboutface, she still continues to look over me, her eyes squinting briefly. I continue to grasp at my handle, staring unblinkingly back at her. Does she know who I am, does she recognise me? She does, doesn't she? Shit, this is going to be an issue.

"Hm, speaking of you fuzzball, have we ever met before? You seem _awfully_ familiar after all." She asks in a surprisingly level headed tone, her eyebrow raised.

"Can't say I know you, Valerie." I reply simply, giving her a shrug, it's a truth in its own way. Delight dances behind her eyes as she grins proudly.

"Ahah! So the giant _does_ speak, that's always good to note." She cheers triumphantly, I sigh and rub at the bridge of my nose, god I hate today with a burning passion. Gerome clears his throat, bringing both of our attention to him.

"Am sorry to be interrupting, but do be leading the way miss Valerie." Gerome finally speaks up with a feeling of finality in his tone, his hand gesturing towards the top of the hill. Valerie rolls her eyes and twists, marching her way up the hill, motioning with a hand to follow. I look at Gerome out of the side of my eye, he hesitates but he finally starts to follow the girl, following him myself by his side. I sigh and rub at the temple of my skull, at least the pants on the chick gives a nice view if nothing else.

..

The small journey was thankfully uneventful, Valerie twisting her head every to check on the both of us before returning to her steady marching. Gerome himself was oddly silent during the trek, the only noise being the sounds of the forest. I can't help but feel slightly freer in this place, away from a town, the sounds of nature feels… I'm not sure how to exactly feel about it beyond a warmth in my heart, it truly is freeing to be out here again, though there's something on my mind, it's more distracting than the wind rushing over my face.

"Psst, Gerome," I whisper to the old man, keeping my voice extra low as I glare at the back of Valeries head, keeping an eye on her. I don't want her to notice that we're speaking behind her back, there's no indication so far, perhaps the wind's carrying the noise away. "I don't trust this chick, for the record."

Gerome hums and nods lightly, wincing slightly and quickly rubbing at one of his thighs. I guess the old man is _actually _old, go figure.

"Da, that is smartest decision, young Zeke." He replies in an assuring manner, his eyes flicking up to the mentioned girl.

"The second we get what you need, we're getting out of here, right?"

"Da." The exchange and plan between us is quick and to the point, solidified with a nod before returning to our silence, the wind dying soon afterwards. Perhaps we did our little scheming just on time. I shiver and run my hands over my arms, fuck, back to being a cold bastard again I guess.

"We're here, this way." Valerie suddenly calls out, motioning with a hand to follow her as she dips in between the trees, disappearing from view. I share a look with Gerome, raising an eyebrow, but I follow suit, taking the lead and dipping in between the trees. I make my way through the arms of branches, shrubbery and other greenery before pushing my way into an open field. I look over it as Gerome appears behind me, sounds like he's winded from the little off road trekking there, poor man. The small clearing is overshadowed by the dark canopy of the trees, residing in a cool darkness, a small river flowing through at the edge of the area with a few tents placed next to it. Valerie lets out a happy sigh as she raises her arms up, stretching with a satisfied grunt as she looks to us, a wide grin on her face.

"Tadaa, our little hidey hole! Nice and out of the way, I don't _think_ anyone knows where this is, maybe the keidrans do, but who cares about 'em?" She shrugs and makes her way to a tent, darting into it. I raise an eyebrow as I look at Gerome, his face morphed into one of distaste as he reluctantly starts to move after the chick. Seems that Valerie doesn't have the same care for keidrans, I don't think that she was raised with Gerome if that's the case. I wonder, how did these two meet anyways? And why is she _here _specifically? I shake the questions in my head away and follow them into the tent, the air is stuffy, it smells strange but familiar, a single lantern placed upon a small wooden desk. Valerie continues to stretch as she leans back into the chair, the wood creaking as she does so. Gerome stands upright with crossed arms, his face blank. What sort of place is this? Who has time for this? Wooden crates litter the rest of the room in the tent, at least they're sealed together properly.

"Welcome to my little humble abode for the next while, it's not too much sadly, but what can ya do about it?" Valerie declares as she throws her feet onto the table, her smug smile returning.

"Gerome remembering a time where you had a little more than this, miss Valerie." Gerome speaks up as he looks around the tent with a raised eyebrow. Valeries grin falters as she waves a hand dismissively.

"Eeeeehhhh, it was _mighty _unfortunate, I'll tell you that much old man."

"So your marauderings didn't turn out too swell, da?"

"I wouldn't call it _that_, I prefer to call it 'eventually voluntary removal of products', for the greater good of course, and it was very profitable! It was less profitable to bet on the dice." The small banter between them continues. Marauding, huh? So she _was _a pirate, a pirate without a ship that she lost due to gambling, I feel like that's ironic in some way.

"Awh, you didn't even tell your furry friend here about me old man? Very well, I'll introduce myself!" She suddenly declares, bringing me out of my thoughts. She clears her throat with a cough before standing upright, planting a boot on the table with another on her chair as she poses, a hand to her chest with her smug grin still intact, looking down to me with a glint behind her eyes.

"I am Captain Valerie Aegir, the rightful captain of the ship Lady Luck! She's just temporarily under someone elses command, until I get her back." She announces with an almost mocking royal air around her, still looking down on my as her eyes wander over my face. I cross my arms, mimicking Gerome as I stare back to her, an eyebrow raised. She holds the likely artificial mood for a few moments longer before sighing, the feeling in the air dropping along with it as she reseats herself, properly this time.

"By the gods, you both have sticks up your ass, guess I should've expected it outta you though. You fuzzy bastards are always a pain in the ass to try to talk to." She grumbles as she fumbles around with something on behind the desk, just out of view, pulling her hand up and shoving a metal flask to her face, unscrewing the lid and wrapping her lips around it, throwing her head back and chugging away. Gerome coughs uncomfortably as she does so, and I can only just stare at her. Jesus, I almost feel sorry for the chick, pirate or not, it's a big blow to lose your shit. Still, something did catch my attention there.

"Judging from that, I assume that you've ran into my kind before Valerie?" I ask her as I continue to eye her chugging form, she eventually tears the flask from her lips and wipes away the liquid dripping from her mouth, tightening the lid and tossing it back into her desk.

"Eh? Course I have, never met a race fulla such pricks before. I mean, sure I was tryna temporarily 'borrow' some stuff from your docks, but I didn't need to be run off like that, ya know? Never liked you things 'cause of that," She slurs her speech as her eyes wander lazily before she quickly shakes her head, rubbing her hands over her face. "Phew, that went right through me, been a while since I've had that."

Tsk, she really is a fucking pirate. I'm not entirely sure why, but her admitting that she tried to yoink shit from the basitin island rubs me the wrong way, the fur on the back of my neck bristling. I mightn't remember the place, but I guess it's still important to me, at least in the back of my mind. Thinking of pirates, actually, doesn't a captain normally have a crew, or did she lose that too? Wouldn't be a surprise.

"Miss Valerie, we are being here for a reason." Gerome pipes up with another cough, his eyes staring at her intently. She groans and sighs, moving her arms and rummaging through another part of her desk.

"Right, right, you can never let me have my fun can you? Gimme a sec." She grumbles aloud as she focuses on the task at hand. The only sound that fills her room is her muttering and the clacking of her, throwing around whatever's in that desk. Only makes me wonder how she got all of this set up, it really would be a lot of time.

"Fuckin- There it is, here you go old man." She pulls away from the desk and sloppily throws a pouch at Gerome. It flies through the air, and I reach out a hand to catch it before it smacks into him, quickly passing it off to him as I eyeball the somewhat tipsy ex-captain, who shrugs nonchalantly with a smile.

"Oops, sorry about that old man, I just don't know my strength sometimes." For some reason, she finds that hysterical, tittering away as she leans backwards in her chair with a gleeful grin. She's really rubbing the wrong way now, fucking weird woman. My ears twitch as there's a thudding from outside, twisting and gripping my hilt. The tent flap suddenly flies open as I jump out of the way of the hulking blur, dragging Gerome alongside me as the thing flies towards Valerie with a grunt, leaning over the desk and dragging her upwards, crushing her in what seems to look like a hug.

"Lady Boss! You're back!" The giggling giant of a man squeals aloud, a dopey grin on his strangely disfigured face as he rubs it against the top of her head, light blonde coloured hair sticking out and backwards, sticky with sweat as his stocky arms clenching around her chest and neck. Valeries face is one of surprise as she coughs and gags, her hand slapping at the mans' biceps.

"F-fucking let go, you dolt!" She barely manages to choke out, continuing her ineffective slapping. I give Gerome a confused look, who gives me his own puzzled look in return, who the fuck is this? The giant seems to take a few seconds to process the demand, his beady black coloured eyes are unfocused and I can imagine the gears in his head _slowly _turning, his mouth gaping slightly. Jesus Christ, this man's slow isn't he?

"Oh! Sorry lady boss!" He shouts and borderline tosses her back onto the desk, her rump thudding against the wood as he scratches the back of his neck sheepishly. Valerie groans and rubs herself down while she hops from the desk, glaring upwards to the man and tapping her foot against the ground.

"We've talked about this, remember? Stop forgetting this shit, it's irritating."

"S-sorry lady boss, I'm just glad you're back! Last time you left, a lotta people got super upset bout it and left." He blurts out as he continues to grins with a carefree attitude. Valerie lets out an aggravated sigh as she pinches the bridge of her nose, eyes squeezing shut as her eyebrows furrows.

"Yes, I'm well aware of what happened last time, I was _there_ in the end. Tsk, I need more drinks." She grumbles as she hops her way back to her seat, fumbling around and dragging out a larger flask, at least she sips at it instead of chugging it down. She finishes herself and plops it onto the table, holding her head up with a hand as she looks between us and the giant.

"Old man, fuzzy bastard, meet Claude. Claude, meet these stiffs." She abruptly and shortly introduces us both. Claude, as his name turns out to be, looks between the both of us, scratching at his head.

"Those are bad names, who's who?" I sigh to myself and pinch my nose, Gerome chuckling good naturedly as he pats my shoulder. There's a part of me that finds his dullness almost endearing, but most of myself is just annoyed.

"My name's Zeke, the other person here is Gerome, do you understand?" I try to explain to the man, slowly and steadily, gesturing to myself and to Gerome, I feel like it's needed. Claude looks between the two of us, a small 'o' shaping on his lips, he doesn't even have a full set of teeth in his mouth, just bits and pieces, but he eventually responds.

"Oh! I get it, those were just funny nicknames boss lady made right? Boss lady is very funny." He continues to smile gleefully as he responds. The grin on his face is… Strange, it's not false or insincere by any means, but it's a little bit empty nonetheless. Despite his thickness, I don't _feel _anything negative from him, just a little bit impressionable. I bite at my cheek as I look over the man, I shouldn't be complacent about him, stay on your toes Zeke.

"I'm shocked this didn't go worse, but I'll take it. Anyways, you have what you need old man, not get outta here." The lady slurs as she shoos us away with a hand, continuing to down her bottle. My nose crinkles, there's definitely something strange in this room though, some _smell_, it's distracting. I look over Claude again, moving up to him and examining him a bit closer, there's something familiar about this man, too. The room remains silent, though I can hear Gerome shuffling behind me.

"Young Zeke? What are you doings?" He questions me, though I don't respond. I squint my eyes as I look up to the giant. He's wearing little, bare chest revealed for any to see, a leather belt holding cloth down between his legs as his poorly stitched shorts barely hang on together. There's no weapon on the man, I don't see a way for him to hide one, his shoulder guard is made of hide and bits of metal, held on himself by a leather strap. There's something about this man that seems so god damn familiar.

"Do we know each other by any chance, Claude?" I quiz the man, talking that little bit slower for him as I tilt my head. He looks confused again, his eyes unfocusing once more, and it takes a bit for him to recorrect himself, a flash of recognition in his eyes.

"Oh, boss man! I didn't realise it was you!" He roars in an excited manner, his arms wrapping around my chest as he pulls me up, his arms tightening around my body as he does so. I grit my teeth as I feel my back crack, it's painful as fuck, but I bite back the shouts forming in my throat as I tap at his arms.

"A-alright, let go now Claude." I choke out, ignoring Valeries drunken giggling, I can see her flushed face grinning hysterically out of the corner of my eye. Claude eventually releases me from his grip, groaning as I straighten my back, my bones popping as I do so. Jesus Christ, the man looks _and _can snap me in half, fuck!

"Sorry boss man! I know you talked about that before, like boss lady did, but I didn't think I'd see you again, where'd you go?"

"Tsk, wish I could say, I don't exactly remember much of anything, though I figured you'd know who I was in some way." Claude actually looks disappointed at that, his eyes turning downcast with a frown on his thin lips. .

"Aw, it's okay boss, I didn't expect you to remember me anyways."

"Hey, I don't remember _anything_, at least nothing specific. For what it's worth, I'm glad that I remembered enough of you to ask you about it, something about you is memorable enough for that." _That _certainly reinvigorates the man, a jolly grin replacing his frown.

"Yay! Well, not yay, boss man not remembering stuff is very not yay, but I'm glad you remember me." I'm not sure why, but the way he talks, despite how deep it is, it's so childish in its own way. I don't try to stop the small smile forming on my face as I reach up and give the man a reassuring pat on his shoulder. I should be feeling more careful about this, just wandering into a man that just so happens to know me is so fucking unlikely to be of natural causes, but there's a spark of glee in my chest, it's a figure of my past that _doesnt_ loathe my existence. Pfeh, the way he smells is disgusting, why is it affecting me so much? It's so _familiar, _and dreadful.

"Heh, you're okay Claude, I like you enough already."

"You're very different from last time boss man, but I like the difference." I really shouldn't be letting my guard down around a stranger, but he's so dim witted in thought but so bright in personality, it kind of makes up for itself in a way. Valeries cough brings me out of the unexpected conversation with the brute, an agitated look on her face.

"Alright, who the fuck are you meant to be?" She suddenly demands in a forceful tone, her grip on the flask tightening as she continues to eyeball me.

"Keep it easy lady. I wasn't _exactly _lying when I said that I couldn't say that I knew you, I don't exactly remember anything. Amnesia, ya know? There's a few pieces that I can put together, but I kind of trusted my gut feeling on this." I try to calmly explain to the woman, though her look doesn't falter. At least she's not trying to break her hand on the metal anymore.

"Ugh, fuck, maybe Claude brought you up some time and that's why I remember you. I don't care, I'm not boozed up enough" She finally groans aloud, throwing her head back and chugging at the thing. She's gonna have a killer headache later, most likely anyways.

"Alright, back to beforehand. How did we meet Claude?" I turn and face the man, asking him simply. He blinks and scratches at his cheek, jaw hanging loosely.

"Uuuhhh… I think the scary lady made you work with me, I dunno." He apologises, a frown forming on his face. I hum in thought and rub my hand over my chin, scary lady? He must mean the emerald lady, whatever her name may be.

"I think I know who you're talking about, that emerald eyed lady? Do you know her name?"

"Her name isn't My Lady? I thought it was, you always called her that," He scratches his head in confusion. "Is it like what lady boss meant by calling you old man?"

"What the f- Yeah, exactly like that Claude." I bite my tongue to stop my imminent verbal lashing, gritting my teeth. He's so fucking stupid, but I don't have it in my heart to hold him to it, face turning from frown to his dopey grin once again. There's still that blasted fucking smell though, what in the ever living fuck is it? It's on the verge of revolting now, I thought that I'd have been used to it, but at this rate I might just lose my stomach instead.

"Hey old man, do you have what _I_ want? Eye for an eye, after all." Valerie pipes up in a slurred and irritated tone, her fingers tapping against the wooden beneath her hands. Gerome remains silent, quickly reaching down and running his hands through one of his many pockets, pulling out a pouch and tossing it towards her. She fumbles with it as she catches it mid air, eventually letting out a small cheer as she clenches her fist around the thing, dropping it onto her desk afterwards. So, these two were doing a trade deal then huh? Hm..

"Hey Gerome, what's in that pouch of yours anyways?" I prod at the man as I stand by his side, his lips purse for a few moments. Part of me hoped that moving away from Claude would've stopped at least some of the smell, but I can almost _feel_ it fucking swirl around me, my throat clenching as my skull burns, by the fucking gods, I need to get out of here.

"Oi, I guess there's no _real _harm." I blink in surprise at how quickly the man folds, I wasn't actually expecting that to work, but at least it'll sate my curiosity, if at the cost of my temper in this god forsaken room. He tears open the pouch and stuffs his hand into it, pulling out a bundle of gems, clear blue crystals between his fingers. They glow with an unnatural blue light that throbs and pulsates every so often, there's something alluring about them, the way they shine, I can't stop myself from staring into its depths. I can't pull myself away from it, the throbbing in my skull pulsates along with the gems itself, the smell and the draw of these fucking crystals, I can't pay attention, are people talking? What's going on? Come on Zeke, stop looking, you weird fuck. The sudden disappearance of the blue bundle pulls me back into reality, the heart in my chest thumping and pumping rapidly as I blink rapidly, trying to refocus my mind.

"Are you oka-"

"Yeah, sorry Gerome, I'm fine. Those are mana crystals right? What's so special about them?" I quickly cut him off, grunting as a surge of pain throbs through my head. Ignore the frown from him Zeke, you'll be okay, pay attention.

"Oy, they _very_ strong mana crystals, is good for Gerome protection! No be needing young Zekes protection constantly, da?" He wipes the frown off of his face with a wide grin, strapping the pouch back to his belt. I guess that makes sense, never thought that he could use magic though.

...He basically grew up with keidrans Zeke, as far as you know they use a lot of magic, it's why they need the crystals, _that _makes a bit more sense. I hum and nod, I feel so dazed suddenly, with the pull of those crystals and the feel of the air here, something is off, something is _wrong_. The conversation that starts up with the rest of the group falls muted on my ears as I look towards the earth beneath us, squeezing my eyes shut. Why don't we follow the smell then Zeke? Surely _that'll _help us find the source of the problem, just ignore the bandit looking giant next to you.

That, is not a terrible idea actually. I slow my breathing and focus on the smell, ignore the abhorrent smell, just try to follow the trail. I slowly amble myself away from the group, their sounds that little less recognisable, keep following it Zeke. The pressure in my skull builds and builds as I try to focus myself more and more, it's so fucking hard to concentrate, where is it? What's the source, whats _hiding in this fucking tent_. The feel of my paw striking against wood pulls myself back to reality, standing above a simple crate.

"Boss man? Whatcha doing?" I hear Claude ask from behind me, the other two ceasing their chattering. I don't turn to face them, running my hands over the top of the crate, yanking at the edges of the lid. It doesn't budge, but there's definitely something in here, it's not heavy by any means, but there's movement. I grip the edges of it and shake it around a little, just very lightly.

My ears twitch and I feel my eyes dilate, my breath stopping abruptly in my chest as I look down to the crate.

That was a yelp.

There's someone in here.

There's a flood of _something _from my chest, heart beating rapidly once more as I draw my sword, ignoring the ruckus from behind myself. If it wont open by hand, I'll make this thing open. I lodge my sword into the crate, hacking and beating the shaft of my blade over the top of it, hurry up Zeke, hurry up, there's someone in here! I give it a final whack before I lodge the tip of my blade into the ground, gripping my hands over the destroyed top and yanking it out and away, bits and pieces flying into the air. I look down into the box past its destroyed lid, my breathing is heavy with the sickly stench in the air.

A small fox sits in the box, their white and brown fur is matted and sticking against themselves, _golden eyes are watering, filled with fear_ as they look up to me, their face is soft and small but rather effeminate, her bottom lip wavering while she whimpers. She's wearing rags that barely cover her chest and lower self, her knees curled up to her chest as a tear drops from the side of her face. The room is deathly silent as she sobs, something that still manages to echo throughout the tent. My fists squeezes on the edge of the crate, cracking underneath my hands, teeth gritting while the blood in my veins fucking _boil_. There's a fucking fox slave here.

I pull myself away from the box with a growl in my chest, clutching my fist around the hilt as I yank it from the ground. I level the tip towards the offender, the fucking _disgusting piece of filth in front of me, _her eyes widening but otherwise remaining stock still behind the meagre defence of her table, the other two look blurred off to the sides.

"I will fucking _tear you open._"

**Authors note: **

**The next chapter will be delayed due to visiting family, otherwise it will resume its normal update schedule. Have a good day. **


	24. Chapter 24

My arm trembles with a barely contained rage as I glare at the woman, everything and everyone else feels like it's fading away, every part of my body _screams _and _begs_ to run her through, to tear her apart for holding a poor keidran like this. What's stopping you, Zeke? There's no Edward here to hold you back from cutting her open, why don't you do it?

I grit my teeth as a jolt of pain throbs throbs in my skull, hissing and holding my head in a hand as I stumble, still trying to keep my sword tip levelled to her chest. Edward, where is he? What was Valerie doing with the girl? That's besides the point though, Zeke, come on you _beast _of a thing, either bite down the anger or let it loose you fucking waste of fur!

"You have _one _chance, Valerie, to explain yourself. Or I will hold myself to what I said and tear you apart." I hiss through my teeth, dropping my arm to my side, though my grip still remains true on the hilt. Good _going _Zekey, you pulled back that beastly nature of yours before you managed to turn the room as red as your sight, I bet Edward would be _so proud_.

"B-by the fucking gods, I don't got a clue why you'd get so uppity bout a keidran. Put the sword away, stay _far _away from me and I'll explain, kay?" Valerie manages to stammer out, some sort of callous pride blooms in my chest as she stutters, fear still behind her eyes even as she puts on a more . You really are a beast Zeke, you'll crack sooner or later if you don't find a way to handle it.

"You've my attention, don't waste it." I reply flatly as I sheath my sword. The rage mist in my mind clears further every second, the intense concentration on that woman fading, like a switch suddenly unblurring the rest of the room. Claude seems concerned and confused, mostly confused, but still unnerved. Gerome looks concerned too, a hand jittery as he looks between Valerie and myself, with the other clutching at his pouch, the mana crystal one. Was he planning on using that on me? Would he do that to me? Would he fight against me when I try to take down and _remove _the filth that is a keidran slave owner? Is, wait, no, what's going on? My head throbs with pain again, clutching at it and groaning, shaking my head. No, Geromes a friend isn't he? He wouldn't wanna hurt me, would he? Not for the wrong reason anyway. That wrath, was that me? Did I scare them all so much that they'd _turn _on me? Fuck, there'll be time for self pity cause of your _newest _fuck up Zeke, pay attention to the chick.

"That little girl right there is the last 'gift' that I received from some templar bigwig a while ago to deliver. Kinda forgot she was there to be honest, put the care on Claude to look after her while we still have her. I guess a certain _someone_ thought that a box would be a good place to put her." She explains, finishing it off with a glare towards Claudes way. The man chuckles awkwardly in return, scratching at one of his bulky arms. Why do I feel so nauseated, so confused? I try to swallow the frog in my throat, but it's a grossly large lump. Why does my chest tighten to such an intense degree?

"What do you mean by 'gift'?" I quickly ask her, crossing my arms to hide the encroaching trembling, is that from rage, from fear? Why are you such a fucking mess Zeke?

"The fuck do you think a gift is? She's a pretty fucking poor gift so I guess I can see the confusion, I dunno what she'd have been used for. Keidran used to be a cargo of mine to deliver after all, never bothered to ask why, I just liked the pay. Everyone did before our last job went to _shit_," She grumbles in a slurred voice as she throws her head back again, grimacing and letting out a noise of displeasure as she shakes her flask upside down, a few meagre droplets dripping from the emptiness. "Pfeh, now I need more booze, damn the masks."

The hair on the back of my neck bristles, it shouldn't surprise me that she peddled keidran slaves, but it still rubs me the wrong way. There's a more pressing concern, worry jabbing into my chest.

"What happened? To the templar you were meant to deliver her to, the one who sent you?" The pounding in my chest only beats faster and faster, my fingers twitching under my arms. Thankfully the other two don't seem to wanna pipe up with anything, Gerome looks far less agitated, his hands by his side though his stance's still wary. Claude still looks confused, but less tense.

"Yeesh, you really wanna push for that dontcha? I mean, I guess I can out of the bottom of my heart help you. I _am _a benevolent captain after all, even if you _did _threaten to kill me, it'll just be water under the bridge and all, not the first time that's happened either. The man seemed _pretty _unwilling to give out his name, but he did say to give her over to someone named Ashford, I think it was Ashford." She answers, scratching at her face in thought as she looks to the ceiling. Everything feels so cold, the blood in my veins freezing as that name plows through my mind.

Master Ashford, a high ranking Templar who likely had a soft heart to those around him, the care in his eyes for anything was unmistakable, his manor and area used to house himself and his owned slaves who he likely cared for more than anyone else would've in that down. A Templar who was accused of treason. A man that I've pushed to his demise by my hands, relishing the pain I brought onto him in his final moments before he was torn away from his home.

By god, the guilt in my chest really starts to ignite itself now, a shadow whisper flooding through my mind as I struggle to bite back the stinging in my eyes. Dear fucking god, I fucked over Valerie so immensely without even realising it, who else have I done the same to, how many more would I have done if I were not soul swapped? Or at least, if my past self would've perished in the fire. Tsk, are you still still going to stew in those thoughts Zeke? The call of it is strong and yanks at my mind, but I'm not the same person that I was that long ago, am I? Even if I'm a colossal fucking mistake that's made plenty of other mistakes, I will do my god damned best, even if I detest myself so. I squeeze my eyes shut and take a deep sigh, soothing myself as best as I can before focusing my attention back onto Valerie.

"What happened in your last job then, the one where you had to 'deliver' the girl? If you don't mind answering, of course." I politely ask her, dropping my arms to my side. She raises an eyebrow, but doesn't seem to react otherwise.

"Mn, long story short, instead of meeting Ashford there, we ran into some Templars instead. Something something accusations of some fuck, didn't care to listen, the few I brought including myself managed to get out of there with minimal injuries, but a crew member felt obligated to drag the keidran along." She replies softly, the slur isn't entirely there any more, her liver must wanna kill her. I give a soft nod before turning to kneel before the keidran in the room, the poor girl still quivering in the wooden crate. I lower my heart to her height, not too close to her, frowning as she continues to stare into the crate and away from me. Poor little girl, how old is she? What's she been through? How much did I frighten this small soul?

"Hey, little missy, I won't hurt you, I promise." I coo softly to her, sitting cross legged with my hands in my lap. Don't appear large, don't appear intimidating, don't move around too suddenly. My heart sinks as she continues to shiver like a leaf in the wind, her looking up to my for a quick moment before darting away, still watering and staining her cheeks wet with residual tears, as the familiar mixed pang of guilt singing through my chest. She's a fox right? Foxes are kind of like cats as far as I know, they are cat-ish enough right?

I slowly raise my hand to the girls head, ever so slowly nudging myself closer to her. She still refuses to look anywhere close to me, I don't think she realises that I'm on the verge of patting her. I gently plant my hand on the top of her short light brown hair, grimacing internally as I feel the grease and muck in her hair, I can almost feel it sticking to my hand, it's terribly gross but I grit my teeth through it. She stiffens suddenly with her breathing stopping as abruptly, my ears twitching as I hear a faint whimper from her. I rub her head and hair despite the ickiness carefully, scratching lightly behind her ears as I try to hum a soothing little tone, I don't exactly know what I'm doing, but she's basically a kid right? Cat kid thing, kids like happy little things right? God, I feel so out of my depth, but I _need _to help this little girl in some way, she's tugging at my heart dammit.

Despite how lackluster my attempts feel to myself, it does seem to catch the girls attention, looking up and staring into my eyes with her glowing golden ones. She seems so lost, so confused, a foggy look behind her eyes despite how waterlogged it looks. The sniffling and whimpering stops eventually as I continue to caress her head and ears, her breathing steadily slowing. She reaches up and weakly grips at my arm, pushing her head into my hand with a final sniffle. She doesn't seem sad, but she doesn't seem entirely happy either, just content, her lips twitching upwards occasionally while I continue to pet her. She's so small, despite the grime in her hair I can imagine it being soft as silk, she looks so god damned fragile too. The way she almost aggressively pushes herself into my hand makes my heart sink. How long has she been so alone to become so attached to the random affection of a stranger? Her eyes droop as she yawns, nuzzling into my hand a final time before leaning backwards, her eyes closing with a smile on her face. I blink as I stare at the fox, hand still outstretched as she nods off into a sudden sleep.

That went far _far _better than I expected, good going Zeke. I give the girl a quick pat before standing upright again, wincing as my legs crack, probably shouldn't have sat like that, but at least the girl seems alright. I don't think the crate's going to feel comfortable to sleep in, but loathe as I am to think it, she's probably used to it. Hell, for all I know, she could be used to far worse places to sleep. Oh, oh wait I'm still in a room with people.

I turn and face the audience, smiling awkwardly and scratching the back of my neck. Gerome at least seems happy in a way, as does Claude, his grin splitting his face.. Valerie seems, both interested and amused, dragging one of her nails around in a circle on her desk.

"Uh, sorry about all of, well, everything that happened because of me really today with how I've been acting to you three. Especially to you Valerie, you really didn't deserve to be treated like that by me. I was angry, pretty fucking angry, but it still wasn't right of me to do so, I hope you understand and forgive me for it." I give the three a small polite bow as I apologise to her, the guilt in my chest feels at least a little bit alleviated from it, though I grind my foot into the ground to distract myself from the awkwardness. Honestly, it'd be kind of jarring for someone to see an about-face like that, from irate to civil.

"Fffffuck, apology accepted I guess? You're a weird fucker fuzzy boy, not exactly sure if I want you near me still, but I'll take it. I guess I'm a forgiving _and_ benevolent captain." She seems to accept the apology with a shrug and a half hearted half smirk on her face. Gods, I do feel _awful _because of it, and I know she doesn't exactly trust me completely, and rightfully so. You did act like a savage, Zeke.

"Oi, young Zeke was seeming pretty unlike self today, but Gerome is glad you're more you! Don't be scaring us like that again, da?" I give Gerome a sad smile and a mocking salute of a hand, his grin back on his face and hands away from the pouch with the mana crystals in it. The room's silent for a few moments, my eyes trailing over Gerome, who stands there with a still grinning face. He seems to finally notice the staring, from others as well as myself.

"Huh?" He blurts out in confusion, scratching at his head as I cough into my hand awkwardly.

"Well, uh, I did kind of extend the apology to _everyone_, that includes you too Claude." I explain to the slow man who puts on a confused face. I sigh to myself and rub at the side of my head, the dense man eventually seems to get it, blinking rapidly as his grin returns.

"Oh! You never apologised to me before boss, sorry! You've been worse so it's okay, you're a lot tamer than what I remember." It's strange to hear the giant chirp as happily as he does, but if he's accepting the apology then I'll take it. I give the man a smile as I clasp my hands behind my back, thoughts running through my head. I have money to spare right? And I'll get more when we get Gerome and Vector back…

"Miss Valerie, I'd like to propose an offer to you." I speak out to her after I clear my throat, straightening my back, the lady humming in surprise with a rise of her eyebrow, fingers tapping against her table.

"Oh? And what offer is that, fuzzy boy?" She replies almost coyly, her lips curling in a smirk. She already knows what that offer is, I'll bet.

"Well, we both know that passing this little lady off to Ashford isn't going to happen in _any _reasonable time, and I'm not exactly well versed in the whole deal, I'd like to buy the girl off of you." I declare my offer with a finality in my tone, keeping direct eye contact with the lady. Geromes face drops to one of confusion, his mouth gaping open and closed for a few moments.

"I- _Zeke_, what are you _doing_?" He hisses unpleasantly, I can already tell he's not very on board with this idea immediately, I can't imagine why.

"I know what I'm doing, Gerome, or maybe I don't and I have no idea on what's actually going on, but I'm determined to make this choice through thick and thin. And I'm going to yell at _you_ later, we can get all of our bad air and mood out when we do that, okay?" I stick out my tongue to the man afterwards, I do feel a little bad about grinning so smugly to him afterwards, but I do hope he knows I don't mean any of that maliciously.

"Oy.." He mutters under his breath, a hand rubbing at his temple in return. The snickering of Valerie pulls both of our attention back to her, a coy and charming smile on her face as she sighs wistfully.

"Ah, now _this _is the Zeke I like, be more like this would ya? And while I _normally _wouldn't even entertain the idea of selling a product to someone that isn't the intended target, I don't think this is exactly a normal situation. I'm also still _pissed _over the Templars getting involved for whatever reason, they probably wanted to just to fuck with us for kicks, buncha pricks." She hisses the last part of that with disdain, a scowl on her face. I chuckle lightly, hiding it with a small cough as her eyes dart upwards to glare.

"Right, right. Now, what, is the process for something like this? I uh, can't exactly say I'm familiar with it." I question her as I rub at the back of my neck, trying to ignore Geromes continued simmering as best as I can, wincing internally. Shit, maybe he's more torn up about this than I expected. Then again, he did say that he doesn't work with people who trade and sell keidran, and here we are. Maybe it's just a hypocritical thing because he knows her more, or better, it's a common theme here it seems.

"Eh, there should be paperwork for her laying about _somewhere_ in here, I can rummage around for it after we talk about the pricing. Simple signage and all, just be sure to keep it on you at all times, especially in towns, I've heard that some Templars are preeeetty pushy about it. Now, what is your price range dear~?" She both explains and retorts with a question of her own, resting her head on her hands with half lidded eyes and a soft smile. She's actually very pretty now that I look at her, in a rugged pirate captain type of way, it suits her after all. Focus Zeke, don't be distracted, why do you think she'd turn on the charm when we're discussing pricing? I hum to myself as I continue to examine her face, her lip twitching upwards. She might be a pirate, but money is useful for everyone isn't it? _And _she lost her ship because of gambling it away, she could be low on cash, wouldn't she want to scheme around for more money? Perhaps she could buy the ship back? Hm...

"I think it'd be more fair to learn about what the price of her as she currently is rather than ask about _my _price range. It's _quite_ an odd question to ask about too, Miss Valerie, don't you think?" I fire back as I cross my arms, raising an eyebrow to the lady. There's an entertained gleam in her eye as she continues to smirk, a light hearted giggle coming from her chest.

"Awh, why would you think that Zekey? I'm just trying to sell a product, nothing more nothing less, don't you know its a fantastic idea to learn about the person you're trying to sell things to?"

"I'm just not entirely sure that you don't have _other _motives for asking is all, Miss Valerie. I'd say no offence, but a lady like you would be thick skinned enough to not let something that like put you off, hm?"

"Aw, you flatterer! I don't quite swing the way you do, you're too furry after all, but I'll take that as an _extraordinary _complement from a man like you, at least the way you are currently anyways. You flip personality harder than a keidran gettin nothing through heat week. No offence, but you seem thick skinned enough to not let that put you off, right hun~?" I snicker internally as my lips twitch upwards, attempting to hide it by covering it a hand and masking it with a thoughtful scratching. Valerie giggles some more, an oddly delighted smile on her face as she looks over me, I'd be more surprised if she didn't see through that. This is oddly fun, entertaining in a way, though something inside me still puts me off of trusting her completely about this. Also, heat week? If it's anything like animals from home, I can already assume what _that's _like, the girl doesn't seem like she's old enough for it to matter.

Then again, I don't know anything about keidrans, or their biology, or the girls _age _for fucks sake, maybe I should ask Eric about it all. He'd be _very _knowledgeable about it, and I'll bet my life on that. I think I kind of like this lady a fair bit more, still don't like the whole trading keidran thing, but there's worse. I know there could be worse.

"Jokes aside, I don't exactly have any coins on me currently, so we could always put this off until later today. Then again, I do want to get this girl some clothes, and food, and other things like a god damned bath, I might need to read up on some things too, perhaps we can reach a conclusion?" I offer again, lingering on with a question as I stare into her eyes. Her eyebrows shoot up slightly as she chuckles under her breath, an amused half smirk on her face.

"Let me guess, you want me to give you the girl _now_ so you can pay her off later today, or even tomorrow?" She deadpans, I give a faux loud gasp and a theatrical clutching of my chest, eyes widening with a grin on my face.

"I didn't realise that you were telepathic, miss Valerie! What other secrets do you have up your sleeve?" She titters as she continues to look with half lidded eyes, though I can imagine her thoughts stewing behind her mind, maybe the offer is something she'd actually accept?

"Hah! This lady needs her secrets, can't let everyone know _everything _that I'm doing after all. I'm afraid I can't allow that though fuzzy boy, trust and such is such a difficult thing to form after all, and I scarcely trust someone in my line of work." I grimace internally, I can't say that I'm surprised, but I am disappointed. Actually, how much is a slave here? Loathe as I am to admit it, I don't imagine that there's too much cost to them, with how much they treat them like dirt, it sours my mind to think of those thoughts, but maybe I could use that to my advantage? I don't use much coin anyways, and I should have the cash to spare, so maybe...

"I'll give you two gold pieces if you allow it, I swear on my own heart that I shan't betray your trust, and if you find myself to have been deceitful you can sick Claude on my ass no holds barred." I don't think that terminology makes sense here, but the cash offer definitely seems to have caught her attention, her eyes widening in what's before she quickly recomposses herself, humming in thought. Her poker face broke, I think I got through to her! Gerome seems as surprised as she does, though he doesn't break face, his jaw still tense as he looks between us two. I guess he is watching a slave trade deal between a friend and an acquaintance, I sure hope he considers me a friend after this.

"Well shit, you drive a bit of a hard offer fuzzy boy, and normally I wouldn't question the coin, but how _do _you even have such an amount?" She asks skeptically, an eyebrow raised. I wave my hand dismissively and shrug.

"It's a part of a temporary job with some guardsmen, but that's neither here nor there, do we have a deal Valerie?" I trail off at the end again, letting the question hang in the air. The air is tense for a few moments before she sighs and rubs at her skull.

"Fine, you've twisted my arm, but if you take my trust for granted, you'll find yourself on the pointy end of my sword, understand?" I cheer on the inside, though I don't hide the small fist pump I do, Valerie rolling her eyes. Score! I feel like I fucked that up somehow, but if it works then it works!

"Crystal clear, of course! Shall we do the paperwork now or later?" I quickly ask her, a bubble of unease and apprehension in my chest. God, do you have any idea what the fuck you're doing Zeke? You're _buying_ a slave, are you any better than the people you loathe? I bite down on my cheek, what's the alternative for her? To leave her with these people? Not to put them down, even mentally, but Claude seems not fully capable of caring for what's likely a child, and to Valerie she's just a product. I sure hope this is the right decision, for us both.

"The old man here seems itching to leave, so it could be best to leave it for later. Can you escort them out Claude? I need to find more alcohol to deal with the nonsense." Her saying Claudes' name seems to bring him back into the conversation, the man was kind of zoning out half way through our discussion after all, shaking his head and rightening his slack face.

"Huh? Oh! Sure thing lady boss." He chirps cheerfully as he quickly makes his way out of the tent, a brief hand gesture to follow him is blurred, but I can at least appreciate the thought of it. Gerome is quiet as he follows the friendly giant, I can see him side eyeing myself and the girl before he dips out, the flap folding behind him. Right, gotta get the girl, don't forget her Zeke.

I kneel next to the crate, the girl's still snoozing away happily with a soft and small smile on her face. I can't stop a sad smile forming on my face as I look over her sleeping form. Is it weird to feel sorry like this for her? She's just a kid, I don't believe an adult should be forced through a life like what she's probably used to, let alone a fucking _child_. I wrap my arms around the lanky girl and try to softly pull her from her ruined crate, she's not large by any means, but she's almost tall and lanky, it's awkward to hold her up. Fuck, how am I meant to hold this girl? Throwing her over my shoulder would be simple and easy, but I don't trust her ragged pants to hold itself together. I stop as she suddenly starts to mumble sleepily, the girl rubbing her face against my chest. Oh my fucking lord, I can feel my heart melting, shes so _cute_. My lips twitch upwards as I loop an arm behind her knees and hold her upwards, I think this counts as bridal style? Regardless, the girl doesn't seem too disturbed, though she still mumbles in her sleep, rubbing her knotted and sticky hair against my shirt.

Her fur colouration for the most part seems to be randomly splattered around her as I look down, examining a bit closely. Her chest is a pure white with a small tuft of fur on it, though her stomach is blotted with a mix of white and brown, though her thin lanky legs are a plain brown from tip to feet. The girls' breath hitches and her ears twitch, a small frown on her face as she whimpers. My heart tugs for her, a frown forming on my face as I learn down and nudge at her forehead with my own, pressing against it lightly. Foxes are basically cats right? I think this works. It seems to be working with how her whimpering dies down, and while she doesnt smile, she seems more at peace. I wonder, how does a child dream?

Right, stop looking at the girl, there's people waiting for you. I pull myself away from the girl and shake my head clear, turning to face Valerie with a determined look.

"I don't know if you care for her too much, but I'll do my best for her. And I'll pay as soon as I can, you can trust me on that." Whatever response she has is lost on me as I twist away and rush myself out of the tent, thoughts running through my head wildly. Doing your best for a stranger, for a child, of a race that isn't your own? That's a fucking tall order Zeke. I'll have to try though, who else would? Gerome might've wanted to help her, but she'd still be hidden without me. I _have _to try, despite how much my nerves rage against me.

I look around as I leave the tend, the fresh air rushing over my face once more, after being in a stuffy place like the tent it's a welcome relief. The two seem to be waiting up for me near the exit, and I quickly make my way towards them, trying to not bounce the sleeping fox in my arms around too much as I jog. She needs a good sleep after all, I wonder if Eric would mind if she slept in my room? I could always sleep elsewhere.

"Oi, all done young Zeke?" Gerome questions as Claude leads the way into the brush, I hold the girl close to my chest as I dip low to whatever branches and other nature bits may be spiking out. She's still snoring deeply into my chest, a very deep sleep, I won't dare disturb it.

"Yeah, I think that's about everything, sure I need to go back there, but still. Now, what did you want to talk about Gerome?"

"You are knowing that I… incredibly dislike the choice that you be making, can not stop you, but still." Gerome speaks slowly, cautiously, his hands fiddling with themselves. Is he acting like this because of me? Now I just feel _worse_, fuck.

"Yeah, I'm well aware of what you think of it, and I don't know what to think of it myself, I detest slave owners that much is true, but I can't even imagine trying to treat a girl like this any less than I would another child. Besides, if I don't take her in then who else would? I feel obligated to help her, Gerome, am I to leave her there? Even if I'm not the best choice, I imagine myself to be better than Valerie or Claude, no offence." It's a bit of a long winded answer, but I manage to speak low to the two of them, still occasionally looking over the girl to check on her. Don't disturb her Zeke.

"It's okay boss! I'm no good with kids, and keidrans are weird, they're like cats aren't they?" I do snicker a little as Claude pipes up with his reply. They _are _kind of like cats, as are tiger keidran, if they're like their respective races from back home anyways.

"Besides, what about you, Gerome? You were touting about how much you detested Eric for being a slave master and how you refused to work with him because of it, but here you are, friends with a lady who's a pirate _and _someone who sells keidran, a double whammy to boot! What the fuck's up with that?" I try to keep my voice low and even tempered, but I can't stop the scoffing entirely. Gerome rubs at the back of his neck awkwardly, a small frown on his face.

"Is difficult question to answer, is very long answer too. Put simply, Valerie is someones I knew a long time ago, did not think she'd be doings this, am very confused still. She is not _bad _bad persons, just very Valerie, you understand da?" I sigh internally, the mental picture of Edward popping into my mind. I know that all too well.

"Mn, I do actually. I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I went after you for it myself, you know how Edward is. Actually, quick question Claude, how _did _you meet Valerie? It's just kind of convenient that I happen to run into you, seeing as you know who I am, forgive my wariness though." The leaves and whatnot seems to be lessening in their density, we have been walking for a little while, are we close to the exit?

"It's okay boss! Lady boss is someone who helped me a lot! You kind of disappeared for a while, and I ran into her one day, I helped her a bit and she took me in, gave me stuff to do, taught me to read! Shes a very good lady boss." His eyes light up as he speaks about her, a grin splitting his dopey face. It's endearing in a way, the way he talks is so innocent sounding, so genuine. I like him.

"I see… What did I make you do then, Claude? When I was your boss I mean." I verbally prod at the man, as loathe as I am to hear about what I've done with another person in the past, there's the tingling of curiosity.

"Uuhhh, you mostly told me to carry stuff, like crates of stuff to help around one of those big towers. You did have trouble catching a keidran person, though, and you were very happy when I got her! Why did you hate them so much though? You never talked bout yourself." A small frown forms on my face, both at the question and the mention of _catching _a keidran. Why does that sound so familiar? Maybe it was in that journal, I should try to read the thing when I get the chance.

"I cant say I _know_ what my thoughts were back then Claude, at least back then. I'm not like how I was then though, not even close." I don't hold the remorse in my throat back, even as I yelp from a branch smacking me in the face, pay attention Zeke. Perhaps it's not best to be dwelling on the past.

"Boss is very different! Still kind of angry, but I like new boss." He keeps his upbeat attitude and tone, cheek splitting grin still on his face. The conversation dies down soon after, the sounds of snapping wood beneath our feet and the birds chirping away fill the air. I look down to the girl, a small smile on her face as she continues to snooze. You'll have a better bed to sleep soon, I promise you that kid.

"Alright, this is the exit! I'd love to stay around, but I hafta go and help Valerie with some stuff." Claude finally declares as we push ourselves into the light, back onto the dirt path to Wreathwood. I look down to the port town, the nerves in my chest flaring up once more. Gods, I am not enjoying the thought of meeting up with Edward again, but I won't stray away from it.

"It's okay Claude, thank you for your help, be sure to take care of yourself. And Valerie too, can't forget her."

"Okay boss, will do! Lady boss'll be fine, she just likes booze a bit much." And with that, the giant disappears into the brush, obscured from view. It's almost sad to see the jovial man leave, he's as friendly as Gerome makes himself out to be, but more childlike.

"So, what is young Zeke planning on doings?" Gerome suddenly asks as we make our way to the town, breaking the small silence. I hum to myself, looking down to the girl and to the town.

"I'm gonna go back to Erics, try to help this young fox here out a bit, get her clothes and wash her up, get her food, all that stuff. Well, I might get Kathrin to wash her, I can't say I'm quite comfortable with it for obvious reasons."

"Oy, at least you are not like others, far from it, am glad for that! Keidrans don't be needing clothes, but it is nice to be thinking of it for her!"

"Naturally, she's as human as the rest of us." I feel a sense of, something in my chest, a mix of pride and apprehension. It'll be a very small difference to take care of a single soul, but it's better than nothing. The conversation quietens down as we reach the bridge, stepping over it and into the city, the bustling and smell of the sea assaulting my senses once again. As welcoming the smell is, I'm glad we're leaving again tomorrow.

"Hey Gerome, where's Vector? I haven't seen him around for a while, and he's normally stuck at the hip with you." I quickly question the man, my blood freezing for a brief moment as the fox squirms in my chest, releasing a held breath as she goes mostly limp once again.

"Oi, he was feeling less than good today, him not liking Valerie very much doesn't be helping either. Am not sure where he is, hoping he's keeping out of trouble." I give the man a small nod, his lips turning into a worried frown.

"I don't want to jinx us, but I'd like to hope he's doing just fine. I'm going up to Erics though, I'll see you midday tomorrow as planned, alright?" Gerome grunts in response with a polite smile on his face, giving a small wave goodbye before making his way off to, wherever he's going, I don't know what he's actually doing. I sigh to myself and shake my head, clear your thoughts Zeke, focus. I turn and make my way up to Erics, keep the kid steady. At least no one seems to be paying much attention

..

A few swift and light kicks against the door act as an impromptu form of knocking, and it swings open after a few seconds, Kathrins head peeking behind the gap.

"Oh? Mister Zeke! It's a pleasure to see you again, where were you?" Her head tilts in confusion, though there's a small smile on her face. Of which is wiped away and replaced with a small frown as she looks down to the bundled fox, still smothering her face into my cloak. I cough awkwardly and nudge my head forwards, she seems to get the gesture, moving backwards as I make my way into the house, nudging the door shut behind me with a foot.

"Good morn-, er, afternoon, good afternoon miss Kathrin. I've been a little bit busy today, and I _might_ require your help with getting this little girl all fixed up later, she just needs a warm bed to sleep in for now. I'm giving her my current bed to sleep in for now, so there's no issue there, but would you mind helping her out when she wakes up? I don't want her to be so worried when she wakes up and such after all." I breath in a small gasp of air as I finish that explanation, god, trying to say all of that breathlessly was a mistake. Kathrins' head remains tilted, though she does nod.

"I'd love to help her! But, where did she come from? What's her name?" I blink and shake my head, don't get distracted Zeke, even if she's cute. Bite through the nerves too, you fucker.

"Well, uh, it's a long story. Actually that's a lie, its a very short story. I bought her and I'm filling out the paperwork tomorrow morning, I just didn't want to leave her to sleep in a wooden crate. Thanks for your help though miss Kathrin, I gotta get this girl into somewhere soft before she wakes up." I quickly brush past Kathrin and skitter upstairs, door by door by door, here's my room. I kneel down slightly and jiggle with the knob, it takes a bit, but I manage to push my way into the room. It's left exactly as when I left, though with an added shine to bits of it. Must've been Kathrin that did it, thanks lady.

I make my way to the bed and gently slide the sleeping kid into it, wincing a little as she stirs, at least she doesn't rouse from her sudden nap. I smile lightly as I brush my hand through her hair, even though it's unkempt. She smiles in her sleep, rustling slightly and into the warmth of the blanket and bed. I hold my hand on her head for a moment longer, giving it another soft rub before turning away. I'll leave her to sleep, she deserves it. Sweet dreams kid.

I softly shut the door behind me and let out a relieved sigh, brushing myself down. Mission accomplished Zeke, got the kid back safely. I mumble under my breath as I make my way down the stairs, stewing in my thoughts. How much money do I have left? I have a single gold coin after I pay for the girl, that sounds like a fair bit of money from what I know, judging from how Valerie reacted to _two _of them, would that be enough for clothes for a kid? Hell, I don't have more than the clothes on my back, maybe I should get my own, but then again, keidran don't really _wear_ clothes. Like Kathrin, though I don't think Kathrins the best example to use for the girl, eaugh. Shit, I need to think of a name for her too, unless she already has one.

"Zeke, it's a pleasure to see you well once again." A voice yanks me from my thoughts, the man chuckling as I yelp loudly. I breath in gasps of air to recover myself and glare at him, growing and crossing my arms.

"It's a pleasure to see you too Eric, would've liked the warning before you scared the shit outta me. Sorry about disappearing for a bit, things, ah, happened." I say awkwardly as I look away, coughing into my hand. That's one way to say you got fucking zapped, Zeke.

"So I've heard, Edward did come to inform us of what occurred, it's fantastic to see you on your feet again. Although, is there an issue between you two? He was less than pleased, last we spoke anyhow." He both answers and questions calmly, a polite smile on his face. I hum to myself and grimace, I shouldn't be surprised he came back here after we last spoke.

"That's one way to put it. I said, well, less than smart things this morning and we haven't been on speaking terms since, that's the short of it anyways." Eric hums to himself, lifting a cup to his lips and sipping. Wait, where'd the fucking tea come from? I'd imagine Kathrin made it, but still, I want tea now.

"Hm, I see. As curious as I am, I won't pry into the reason why, but I do wonder what you're planning to do. I know neither of you very well, but you don't seem the type to leave him for it." I can't help but bristle at the mere thought of it, Eric probably doesn't mean it maliciously, but it rubs me the wrong way.

"Hell no! It was a dumb mistake, that's all it was, and even if he's still mad at me, I don't want to be mad at him or myself for it any more. I want to find him, and apologise, do you know where he is?" I need to find him, I really need to, I want to resolve this mess that I've made.

"Last I heard of, he was heading down to the docks, though I don't know why." Wreathwood docks? Bingo. I give Eric a nod, determination stewing in my chest as I give him a tight squeeze on his shoulder before darting towards the door, giving a quick wave to Kathrin as she pops her head into the room.

"Okay, thanks Eric, I'll be back later. Thank you again Kathrin!" I yell aloud as I shut the door behind me, running downhill towards the town. There's an uncomfortable feeling stirring in my chest as I make my way towards the docks, why am I worried? Is it because of meeting Edward again, or something else? I purse my lips as I rush past the crowd, brushing and pushing past them.

I reach the docks soon enough, there isn't many people here, I squint my eyes and look over the heads of everyone. No one reacts to me, and there certainly isn't any Edward, maybe he's moved on? Where would he go then? I hum to myself and walk around the area, my frown deepening further and further. No Edward, but there's something wrong, something's _terribly _wrong it thrums inside of my chest. Okay Zeke, lets focus, Edward likes Templars right? Maybe he's closer to the tower?

I grimace and hurriedly walk towards the tower, Jesus Christ, my head already hurts just thinking about the damn thing, eaugh. The nerves in my chest jump and jolt the more time I waste, I go from walking to running, straining my muscles. Something's wrong, something happened. Am I overreacting? Am I just being stupid? I need to find out, and soon. My ears twitch as something pulls me out of my thoughts, sniffing at the air. There's something in the air here, its smothered underneath the smell of the sea, but there's _something_, and it's a clue. It smells coppery and tangy, I can almost feel it pinging against my nose as I follow the trail. I feel like a shittier version of a police dog, but following my guts helped me before and I'll do it again. The trail brings me just shy of the docks, upwards and away from the tower, the closer I get the stronger it smells. It smells like coins, or iron, just metal, but why does it attract me so?

The beating of the heart in my chest ignites with a renewed fervour, realisation flooding my mind. I know that smell, and I know it all too well. I bite down on my jaw and throw myself onto the trail, move faster faster Zeke! The trail's still fresh, we can save him. My breathing becomes more and more strained, the familiar headache coming back, pounding against my skull. It hurts, it hurts but I _have _to focus, I can't lose myself, not like this. Grit your teeth Zeke.

My ears twitch, the sound of clanging of metal on metal rings in the air. So close, so close! Move faster! My ears pound with the rushing of my blood as I turn the corner, almost slipping on the stone in my haste. There's a small group of four surrounding two figures far ahead of myself, my sight wavers and they seem blurred. The group seems like commoner rabble, clothed in brown strips, clutched in their hands are wooden maces and other metallic objects. One is collapsed against the wall, clad in a black cloak, while the others in plain clothes, breathing heavily and kneeling. Blonde, he's blonde, that's Edward! Vector too? What're they doing here?

My muscles tense as I jump into action, they're in danger dammit, get your ass in gear! My breath is heavy on my chest as I sprint as fast as I can to them, don't you dare fucking touch them you bastards! A growl grows in my chest as everything blurs, you have to go faster, faster faster dammit! My head throbs in pain, my muscles scream, almost feeling like they're twisting as I force my legs to move. Closing in, closer and closer, everything looks so blurry still, they haven't taken notice just yet.

A feral snarl from my throat is what catches their attention, already a few paces away from the group, one of them twisting around to face me. His face is a mix of confusion and shock, which quickly crumples as I mash a fist into his face, the man rigidly flies off of his feet and onto the cobblestone beneath us, the only sounds I can hear is the throbbing of blood in my ear drums and the mans groaning, twisting against the ground. I shakily move myself in front of Edward, a sneer on my face as I draw my blade, holding it to my side as I jab a digit towards the rest of the group.

"I may not know what's going on, but you aren't laying another finger on these two," I shout to them gutturally, the pounding in my skull screams for release. I breath heavily as my eyes shift between the remaining three, the one on the floor remaining limp, I think he's out of the fight for now. "Now, get your friend and _get the fuck out_."

The three look between each other, sharing a few words in a language I can't understand, not too different from the one Gerome and Vector speak. One of them sneers and jabs his metal rod towards me, something seeping from the tip of it and leaking down onto the stone. Poison or something? I shift my eyes and look down to Edward, blood dripping from his skull and he seems hurt, but the determined look on his face and a nod makes me think that he'll be okay. If he has been poisoned then he needs to get it checked out.

I feel the veins in my head throb as I growl again, the pain in my skull ignites itself again and again and again while the three push forward, moving myself back and away from them. I can't get a _fucking break_ in one of these fucking towns, not for a fucking day can I? I fucking hate it, I fucking hate it all! These fucking _MUTTS_ need to go to hell. I need to get away from this, I need them to get away from me! There's something in my head, I can feel it wiggling and turning inside of me, I can hear it begging for a release.

Let it out, Zeke, you fucking waste!

"I said **get!**" The tingling in my skull reaches a new peak as I throw out my spare hand to them, my vision turns a translucent blue, the group flashing a bright blue before they're tossed away, shrieking as they crumple over each other, the skull of one of them smacking against the ground with a solid thunk, laying still afterwards. My arms tremor and twitches as I look over the prone bodies of the group, the voices in the back of my head dying down and eventually subsiding while it tingles. My breath is heavy on my chest, throat feels almost raw as I sheath my sword, letting my arms limply hang by my sides. The two remaining men shake and whisper harshly, their eyes lighting up with something behind it as they drag their friends away, shouting. As much as I want to go after them, there's other things to attend to.

I let out a shuddering sigh, a sudden fatigue running itself through my body, there's a tingling in my limbs as I kneel next to Edward, a hand gripping his shoulder.

"Eddy, buddy, are you okay? Where're you hurt?" I hastily ask him, my eyes looking over his kneeling form. There's no blood anywhere else, just the open wound on his forehead, dripping down his face and staining his hair. Vector stirs and looks upwards, the way he moves seems alright, though his hands do jitter. He seems shaken up.

"Z-zeke, didn't think I'd be so glad to see you." He weakly croaks, a deep throated coughing fit following suit. He heaves as I pat as his back, keeping a firm hold on the man, giving him a smile as he looks up.

"What are friends for, Eddy boy? Here, let me help you walk, I'll bring you to the Templars to get you checked up." I wrap my arm underneath his and throw it over my neck, pulling him onto his unsteady feet. This is quite the role reversal, and some part of me is glad for it, I'm tired of being the one that needs to be dragged around. I gaze down to Vector, the man eventually rising to his feet, giving him a firm look.

"You follow me, okay? I don't give a shit what you think of Templars, I need to get Edward help and I don't want you to wander off, understand?" He doesn't respond quickly by any means, at least not verbally, but he does eventually give me a nod. It's a begrudging nod, but I'll take it over nothing at all, I don't want this fucker to walk into more trouble.

I shift Edward around a little on my shoulder, making sure the man's steady before making my way to the tower. If Lucy was randomly here, then I'd ask for her help, but they're already so close. If he is poisoned then I _need _to get him some medical attention somehow.

"Z-zeke…" He croaks once again as his feet drag against the stone, his boots clacking occasionally on it.

"I'll get you help Edward, I promise you that." I assure the man with resolution in my chest as I look down to him, nodding faintly.

"That's n-not it, what was th-"

"Listen Eddy, I know exactly what that was, and I don't want to think about it too much, I want to get you to safety first, okay?" I cut the man off with a frown, almost begging the man. He's silent for a few moments before he gives a shuddering sigh, nodding. I look around quickly, Vector's still following us, thank god, if he gives us the slip I'd be fucking _pissed_.

I can stop Edward from talking, but I can't stop my thoughts, it stirs around in my head as I look down to the path. I, god, that rush of power flooding in my veins and through my arm and mind felt _delicious, _so wonderfully untamed but so unnatural. I'm not meant to be able to do that, I shouldn't be able to do anything _like _that for fucks sake. Just another thing to add to the pile of what's wrong with me. I smile lightly as I look down to my best friend, clutching at him as he hangs in my arms. I might be a shit basitin, but I'm a good friend, right Edward? I'll just, take it as it comes, I'll use whatever the fuck that was to the best of my abilities to help my friends.

**Authors note: Hey, remember how I said that there was gonna be a small hiatus because of family shit? Yeah, I wanted to start to write a bit of a chapter before I left. This turned into this full fledged monster of a chapter, I guess I can go fuck myself.**

**The next chapter **_**will**_ **be delayed for sure though, hopefully this is a nice enough read. Also, the rating for this story is gonna go up to M because I'm 90% sure that I'm pushing the T rating a bit too much for my liking**

**Also, character profile for Lucy, finally. **

**Lucy Loane **

**Gender: Female**

**Age: 20**

**Class: Scholar**

**Species: Human**

**Languages: Multi-lingual**

**A curious and abnormally blunt scholar with a penchant for cleric work, along with an interest for pain. Not inherently malicious, though often puts her clients off with her nonchalant attitude towards pain and wounds. She takes delight in her dark jokes despite others' responses to it. **


	25. Chapter 25

"How is it that I figured that I would see you here again Zeke? Granted, I didn't think it'd be so soon, but here we are.." The captain rumbles in a low tone, sighing afterwards as he looks over Vector and myself, the robed silent man huddling himself in a corner away from the both of us, his face at least revealed. I shrug and give the looming man an awkward smile. Thankfully dragging Edward here was uneventful, I was truthfully worried about Vector trying to skimp out on this, something in me tells me that it'd be better to drag the man here.

"Hey, I was in the right place at the right time, it wasn't my fault this time around. You were closer is all." I respond to the man tersely, crossing my arms as I look him in the eye. I'll stand by that for the rest of the conversation god dammit, while I feel like I was on the verge of figuratively shitting myself I wholeheartedly believe that it'd turn out for the worse if I wasn't there. Lucas lips twitch up in a small smile, chuckling softly.

"I don't recall saying that it was a bad thing Zeke, nor did I say it was your fault, trouble seems to follow you very easily." I sigh and rub my temple. He's very right about that, I feel akin to a lightning rod for trouble. My chest twitches, a hand moving to rub at it lightly, 'lightning rod' is very apt wording.

"You're not entirely wrong, but I like to imagine it as 'excitement' instead sometimes, positive outlook and such, this time I literally ran into it though. How's he looking?" I ask him, biting my lip as I look to the closed door of the medical bay. Kedrick basically shoved me out to look over Edward in silence, it worries me. Is he going to be okay?

"Despite your raving worry for the issue, Kedrick will figure out if he's poisoned or not. Given how he seemed beforehand, it's not likely that he's been afflicted with such, nor is it probable that he'll have any permanent wounds. He'll probably have to keep his head wound under wraps until it fully heals and take it easy, but it shouldn't be too long, hopefully there's no underlying issues related to it, but Kedrick is a good cleric, he'll find it out. He'll have a pretty painful headache for a while though, I imagine he can handle it." A breath of relief flows from my lips, it feels like a weights' been lifted off of my shoulders. I don't know the man very well, but I'd like to imagine that he's a trustworthy medic. He did take care of me after all.

"Hey, I was rightfully worried about the poison. I don't think he'll be happy about being forced to take it easy for a while, pride and all." Lucas shrugs, his eyes shifting to the shut door and the silent Vector.

"If he has an issue with the way it's being handled, he can talk to Kedrick." The mental image of the stoic and burly man looming over me scares me, let alone Edward being stuck with the man.

"He doesn't sound like he's much for conversation."

"That's because he isn't, and there won't be much chances for discussion, he's very 'firm' with his magical application of healing. What happened? If I have to deal with more paperwork, I'll have your head Zeke." He glowers and looks over to me with a threatening eye, the man really doesn't seem to enjoy paperwork very much. I wouldn't either, quills looks like it sucks to write with… could I invent pens here? It'd sell like mad. That's slightly off track, not like I know how to make a pen anyways.

"Chill, Cappy, that's why I had this fucker come with us, fill in the details and whatnot." I wave the captain off halfheartedly and jab a thumb towards Vectors direction, the man moving from foot to foot absent mindedly. Can't imagine he wants to still be here.

"Call me that again and I WILL have your head. You're Vector right? What's your side of the story here?" He threatens me with a growl before moving his eye over to the hooded man. He's silent for a while, the only mention of him actually acknowledging the captain's question is a small movement of his hood.

"No." He finally and abruptly answers as he looks over Lucas's way, squinting brown eyes lingering on him for a few short moments before looking away again. I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose, the captain's reaction being a surprisingly tame rise of an eyebrow and a slight frown.

"Come on Vec, Lucas is a nice guy, and you'd wanna get back to Gerome right?" I carefully explain to the man, nudging my head towards Lucas. I really want this dude to open up about what happened, it's probably not that bad, hopefully he wasn't doing anything illegal that'd royally fuck us up. Then again, Gerome didn't seem to like Templars very much, and he manages to skirt around the law, even just barely through the will of Edwards uncle.

"No, and yes." Another short and abrupt answer, and another pinching to the bridge of my nose, exhaling sharply through it. Right then, very useful, at least it's more than a word this time around.

"Right, forgot how amazingly talkative you are. Would you prefer to wait around until Eddy comes back out?" Sarcasm drips off of my tongue as I speak, though I end it with a genuine offer for the man, maybe he's just not comfortable about the situation itself? Who knows, might've been spooky for the man, he's not quite the fighter from what I know. Not that I can recall an incident where he's been needed to fight. He's silent for a few moments, fingers tapping against his legs as he looks around, eyes finally settling on me.

"...maybe." He finally says, eyes darting away once more. I sigh to myself, closing my eyes as I lean against a stony column. Probably the best we're gonna get out of him, at least for now, it's better than a straight no I guess.

"How is it that you manage to find the more interesting characters on Mekkan, Zeke?" Lucas pipes up, an amused chuckling rumbling in his chest as he side eyes me, a small but tight smile on his face. I raise an eyebrow to him.

"The hell does that mean?" I ask curiously, head tilting slightly. Fuck, the head tilts back, I swear I haven't done that in a while, god dammit. Makes me feel like an almost animal, or a cat.

"I've had more indulgent conversation with stone, and I've never met a person as unnerving as your scholar friend." The stone comparison is admittedly a little humorous, but scholar friend?

"Do you mean Lucy? She's not quite a friend." I reply after a bit, scratching at my chin absentmindedly. She really isn't a friend, not quite yet, nor do I think I'd like that thought, eaugh.

"She acted like one when you were in the medical bay, Edward seemed accepting of her too, so we assumed she was with you."

"I'm almost entirely sure she was hanging around to see if I'd scream."

"That does explain a few things." I sigh again, a long pained sigh, ignoring Lucas's continued amused chuckles. I'm surprised I don't feel a god damned headache building up again thinking of the little lady.

"Why did you even let her in to watch me anyways? Edward I can understand, but her?"

"As I said, we believed her to be with you, Edward didn't speak up either, furthering the assumptions of it." He answers sharply, nipping the questions in the bud with what sounds like a mentally pre-planned explanation. Maybe I'm feeling on edge cause of Lucy being brought up, he is a captain, he's probably used to speaking like this. Something stirs in my chest, scratching at it lightly as I think to myself

"...do you think she's around? The more I speak of her the more I expect her to show up." I quickly ask once more, my eyes darting left and right to gloss over the room, I don't see anyone like her, but who knows what tricks she has up her sleeves. I hum in annoyance to myself as Lucas chuckles again, that little soft smile on his face seems more teasing and smug by the second, I'd take a jab at him but I feel like he'd take my head off if he took it the wrong way.

"I personally haven't seen her around here lately, can't speak for anyone else though." It's not quite a perfect answer, but it is one nonetheless. I still feel minutely paranoid, but it's at least alleviated somewhat.

"She has a vial of my blood Lucas, just solely my blood to look at it and examine, is that normal here or is that fucking creepy?" I hiss to the man, tapping my fingers against the stone. He hums and cups his chin, taking on a faux thinking face as he looks upwards.

"No comment." He finally replies after a few almost tense moments, chuckling as I groan, thudding the back of my head against the column.

"You're a great deal of help aren't you?" He chuckles again but doesn't speak afterwards, instead standing tall and awaiting near the door. There's not much conversation to have afterwards, it's not as if Vector's gonna pipe up with a conversation topic anyways. The more I have to wait for something to happen, the more my stomach seems to writhe and flail in my body. Is he actually okay? Is something going on? Is he having the same reaction to magic that I did? Is that normal? I squeeze my eyes shut and exhale, ever so slowly. It's okay Zeke, he'll be okay.

I bite down on my lip as I continue to look up to the door, then down again, tapping my fingers against each other, pacing back and forth to pass the time. It feels like it's been an age to wait for results, but the other two seem to be okay and patient. Shit, am I annoying them with my pacing? I'd be annoyed with my pacing to be honest, I should stop. My thoughts derail quickly as the door squeaks open, an otherwise okay albeit wincing Edward stepping through. His normally pointy hair hangs down and covers his bandaged forehead, but he walks with his back straight and proudly despite his slightly pained face. He's okay Zeke, told you he'd be okay. The deep grumbling of a man, I assume to be Kedrick, whispers from behind him baritone and low to the point where I can't properly make out the words, the door slamming behind him soon after.

"Eeeyyyy Eddy my boy, you feeling alright?" I chirp happily as I slide next to him, wrapping my arm around him. I jostle him lightly with a one armed hug, looking over his bandaged head. There's a tinge of worry in me still, even if Kedricks meant to be a fantastic cleric and healer, I can't help but check anyways. Just in case.

"Tsk, my pride's more wounded than my head Fuzz." Edward scoffs, brushing my hand off with his own, though I can still see his lips twitch into a faint smile. I'm really glad that he's okay.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it too much, I'm glad you're safe though. Besides, the only beating you should be getting is when we spar."

"If I recall, the score's just one to one for either of us." He bites suddenly, a smug grin on his face as he chuckles. I huff and whap at his arm with a hand.

"Gods dammit, the first one doesn't count. I slipped!"

"I'm counting it as a win for me." He continues to snicker aloud as I glare at him, whapping his arm yet again, a little bit harder this time. The fucker, here I am worried about his safety and there he is being a smug little bastard. A small cough from Lucas interrupts the both of us, bringing us to attention, Edward clasping his hands behind his back and standing upright.

"Sorry to butt in here, but could we fix this up? I've other things that may require my attention,after all." He questions, looking between the both of us. Edwards face looks like a mix of sobered and tense as he addresses the captain. It's an odd expression

"Sorry Captain. After splitting, uh, with Zeke this morn, I spent the new few hours just wandering the town and the market. I ran into Vector here, and seeing as he is one of our charges, I opted to shadow him for a while. He was approached by a group, of which I felt compelled to step in, after which they turned aggressive. Loathe as I am to admit it, one of them got a good hit on me as I dragged Vector away, hence the head injury. I tried to move away from any citizens that could've been caught up in the fight and closer to the tower, they caught up to us and I held them off for a while until Zeke came charging in, he cleaned up the fight and ran them off." I can almost see him bite the inside of his cheek as he speaks, his hands twitching behind him as he finishes. I give the nervous looking man a squeeze on his shoulder, as well as a small nod as his eyes shift towards me before looking back to the captain. His pride must really be torn up, at least a bit, I don't think i've seen him like this before. Maybe it's because he's reporting to a Templar captain? Said captain hums to himself, as if he's mulling over his thoughts.

"Mn, I see. What's your story then 'Vector'? Did you know those people?" He addresses the still mostly silent man, his head jerking up as Lucas speaks his name. He fiddles with his hands and says nothing with terse lips for a few moments before shrugging.

"Hired thugs from rival merchants." He replies lowly and shortly before leaning back against the wall. A very short answer, very Vector. At least it explains something. Lucas hums once more, eyes squinting very lightly, scrutinising Vector

"They didn't look like they were professional mercenaries or whatnot, they looked like random villagers, just armed and with intent to harm." I pipe up and side eye Vector myself with a raised brow. They scattered like the wind pretty soon after I showed too. He shrugs again.

"Cheapskates." Another short answer, at least that one gets a small snicker out if me. Something about how blunt it is is amusing.

"How about you then Zeke? What's your side of the story?" Lucas questions again as he puts his sights on me.

"Me? Uh, split off from Eddy, went looking for him around midday, ended up tracking him down from some blood splatters and found the two of them surrounded. They scattered pretty quickly after I socked one in the jaw, I don't think they wanted to try to fight the both of us at the same time, even if Edward here wasn't in the best condition, he's still a fighter." I inform the man as I give Edward a grin and another one armed huh, chuckling as he sighs exasperatedly, a deadpan expression on his face. Lucas retreats back into his thoughts, likely to ponder about the situation revealed to him. Truthfully, I don't imagine much would happen beyond him keeping it in the back of his mind, I don't exactly know what Templars do, but I'd imagine that they wouldn't try to seek out random sellswords that have little to do with them. They're not exactly police from what I know.

"Well judging from you three have told me… No citizens or Templars have come forth with complaints or details of being harmed, there's no collateral damage, and Edward here's been patched up. Unless more concerns arise, I don't think there's much else to do, though you coming to inform me of this is something I'm thankful for. Thank the masks, I don't have to do any more fucking paperwork." The captain lets out a relieved sigh, a grin on his face as his body relaxes. The man looks genuinely happy for it too.

"Lucky you, huh?"

"Lucky you, I detest paperwork with a fervent passion, now get your asses out of here. I don't want to be seeing any of you for the next god damned week, stay out of trouble dammit." He growls and jabs a thumb towards the door, a rather not so subtle gesture to get us the fuck out.

"Yes sir!" Edward says as he salutes the captain, quickly moving away. I give the captain my one sloppy salute before following him, Vector skittishly trailing close behind. Teh doors shut behind us with a solid thudding, stretching my back and arms out with a delighted groan as I shoo ta smile to Edward.

"I say that went pretty well, don't you?" I ask him with a growing grin on my face and a friendly nudge of the elbow, a small dip of a frown forming on his face as he sighs, rubbing at his bandaged head with a hand.

"My head's fucking killing me Fuzz, I'm irked that one of them managed to get a lucky hit in cause I was focused on Vector." He grumbles underneath his breath, frown deepening lightly. My smile turns soft as I squeeze his shoulder again.

"That's just details, I'm glad you're okay Edward, I was a little worried for ya. Where are you off to now Vec?" I ask the merchant as I flick my eyes over to him, his face dour and unsmiling. Very Vector, I do wonder why he's like that though.

"I leave, go to Gerome." He eaks in a low tone while he stiffly walks past us, head hanging low. He stops for a moment, as if deep in thought before he flicks his head to us.

"...thank you." He mumbles before returning his stiff march into town, I assume to try to find Gerome, disappearing into the mess of the crowd and the town.

"You know, I think that's the most I've heard the man speak ever." I remark as I walk forward, taking the lead, Edward following close behind. The sun continues its dip into the sunset, chilly air washing over my face as I take in the scent of the sea, getting back to Erics would likely be best. It'll keep us out of trouble, also I fucking love this salty smell, god bless the sea.

"I prefer less talkative charges actually, and companions." Edward ribs, nudging at my arm with an elbow. I give the man a mock theatrical gasp, hand raised to cover my lips.

"Edward! Here I was thinking that you loved our little back and forths, as well as our time together! I believed myself to be a friend, not just a mere companion!"

"Don't flatter yourself too much, Fuzz."

"Heh, I'm glad you're okay though, I was… A little scared to be truthful." I admit to him, my voice wavering lightly as I sheepishly scratch at the back of my neck. Edward raises a brow as he tilts his head backwards.

"Why were you scared for me, Zeke?" The way he asks that seems so… strange what sort of question is that? A fucking dumb question that's for sure, the hell is this?

"The hell do you mean 'why were you scared'? We're friends you dolt." I deadpan and give him a small whap to the arm, did he magically forget that or something?

"Zeke, you know why I was thinking that, you know…" He trails off, rolling a hand as he stares. I blink, what's he talking about? Oh! Right, we had that ah, small little fight.

"Edward, you're stupid, but I'm dumb as a brick sometimes myself. I detest that you hate keidrans, and I don't like being an exception to it. But, fuck, how do I say this? I think that it's a good step, perhaps in the right direction, and I'm glad to be considered a friend by you. I don't know why you hate keidrans, and I can't magic your thoughts away into whatever I want it to be, that's just not right, it doesn't make you you, know what I mean?" I try to put together an explanation for it, but my throat feels so dry now, is that because of the nerves building in my chest? I can't believe I forgot about the little mess with him, I guess my mind was busy with other things.

"Well, you are dumb as a brick, that's for sure." His lips twitch into a small smile as I roll my eyes, nudging him with an arm as we continue our walk towards Erics. The town is oddly peaceful this afternoon, there's no chattering or murmuring, no side eyeing either. It's a good peace. The silence between us is broken by Edwards sigh, running a hand over his face.

"...I'm sorry for shoving you Zeke, truthfully. It's been eating at me for a while, I'm just not good with all this stuff. You're a good friend now, much to my surprise, and maybe that's why my Uncle wanted to push you to go on this mission with me. It's been surprisingly pleasant, and I've enjoyed it for the most part." He finally admits, it takes him a while to try to choke out the words though, twisting over his tongue. I smile, a soft and comforting warmth in my chest battering away the overly familiar chill that takes a hold of it.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up for it Eddy. I stepped out of line, and said something I shouldn't have because it slipped my mind. I hurt myself more than you hurt me, so we're cool now right buddy man?"

"Yeah, we're 'cool', don't call me that though."

"Cmon, famalam, it's not the worst thing I can call ya."

"I've changed my mind, the masks can send you to hell for all I care."

"Come on Eddy boy, you know you love me."

"I detest you."

"Love you too Ed." The ribbing and the back and forth brings a hearty chuckle from my chest, Edwards own laugh mixing with mine as we continue our walk, an odd happy pep in my step. That's finished, it's all good now, praise the fucking lord. I don't think it's a good thing to be so attached to a friend, but what else do I have here? Not very much, at least at the moment, and to myself anyways.

"...So what about the other 'issue' that arose then Fuzz?" Edward suddenly asks, his eyes shifting over to me. I hum in thought, the gears in my head turning and grinding.

"Eh? What other issue?" I ask inquisitively, I really don't have an idea on what he's talking about. Edwards face contorts into a bewildered one, brows creasing.

"You know, the whole magic thing? You shouldn't be physically capable of doing it, with or without theoretical experience or whatnot, did you forget about that? Did you pull it out of your ass, or did you figure it out in the time we were separated?" He continues. I blink, what sounds like static buzzing around in my empty skull. I fucking forgot about that, how did I forget about that?

"Oh! No fucking idea where it came from, I just let out whatever was tingling and writhing in my skull and thats what happened. It felt nice to get it all out in some way, I guess I did say that I didn't wanna talk about it so it probably slipped my mind after a while, I was a bit more worried about you after all."

"You forgot about yourself using magic? Something you freaked out about loving just a day prior? Are you okay in the head Fuzz?" He flicks at the side of my head with a finger, chuckling as I hiss at the fucker. Asshole.

"Hey! I'm okay, I think, I feel okay at the moment anyways." I assure the man with a wide and boisterous grin, who hums to himself.

"I'm glad for that, but that's still worrying, immensely worrying. That's not how magic should be feeling, nor should it be how it's released, nor should you just forget that it happened. I don't know what magic can do to a basitin either."

"Eh, what can ya do about it? I'll deal with it as it comes." I wave a hand dismissively, Ed grumbling under his breath again as he rubs at his temple.

"You worry me Zeke."

"And I'm awfully flattered for it, your worry is appreciated after all Eddy."

"You're taking it all very, what's the word, casually?" He frowns as he looks over my face, a look of worry covering his face. My heart strings tinge as his frown deepens, fuck, he's pretty worried about me then huh? Cmon Zeke, lets get through it.

"Am I? I'm confused as fuck and pretty damned worry about it all, even if I don't seem like it at the moment, I think Anna mentioned that I'd break my mind if I touched some mana crystals that she had, or something along those lines. I imagine that having to actually use magic would implode my head after a while."

"How can you be saying these things while seeming so calm?"

"No clue, just another issue to run through my head to go onto the pile of other shit I guess, despite that though I feel just fine. "

"You feel fine?"

"Better than that actually, I feel good, it felt amazing to do that. It's mother fucking magic Edward, that shits exciting!"

"Did you have any idea what you were doing? Do you know how to actually use magic?"

"Nope! I wanted them out and away from me, it got the job done right?" Edward groans, louder this time, rubbing at his temples with a renewed fervour

"Fuzz, magic isn't a type of toy to just play with." He hisses in a chiding tone, whapping my arm gently. I roll my eyes and lightly jab him in return, what a brotherly way of showing affection, just fucking hitting each other. It feels odd, but welcoming

"I'm well aware, I don't think it's a great idea to be brooding about the potential consequences of it just yet. I think I'm still on an adrenaline high kind of, while I do realise the issue of it and I'm confused, it hasn't completely hit me yet. Give it a few hours though and maybe I'll start to panic a bit more."

"You're a strange person, Zeke."

"I'm a strange friend, right?"

"Yes Fuzz, we're friends, despite our little spat." I cheer internally and pump my arm, ignoring Edwards snide chuckling.

"Fucking booyah."

"...How do you think Lucy would react to this, well, development? She did seem pretty interested in you, and she is a mage." Suddenly, every fiber of my being jumps in alarm with the mention of her name, the hairs on the back of my neck spiking upwards, along with my ears as I quickly look around the area. Is she around? She scares the shit out of me, fucking Lucy.

"I swear to fuck, you and Lucas is gonna jinx me to make her show up, I don't want her to show up Eddy. She scares me, the whole magic schtick just makes me more worried. I feel like you fuckers want her to show up." I hiss and give him a less than gentle jab again, a small flicker of smugness in my chest as he hisses and rubs at the sore spot. The fucker deserves it, the injury is on his head after all, not his arm.

"Mn, I partially do, it's entirely to spite you too." He snickers at my discontent huffing, still checking my blind spots for any potential sightings of the little mage. I've no clue why she unnerves me so, is it because she's a mage and magic puts me on my ass? Is that one meeting with her enough to put me off of her so much? It's probably the blood vial still, fucking weirdo.

"You're an asshole, I'm gonna hook you up with Kathrin or another of Erics slaves to spite you." His disgusted blanching is a rightful comeuppance for being an asshole, it brings a warm delight to my chest as I laugh aloud, Edward eventually joining in as we continue our trek up the hill, ever so closer to Erics home. God, I need to thank him and Kathrin for all their doing, I feel bad for taking up their space dammit.

I hum to myself and twist my head, looking towards the Templar tower, my lips pursing as thoughts run through my head. Very, very strange. I don't have a headache from that place, nor did I feel even the beginning of one while I was in the place, even though it's just a concentrated epicenter for magic. I feel like that's important, but I don't know why. I'll keep it in the back of my mind.

I feel like I'm forgetting something else too. I shrug to myself and hurry myself up to Edwards' side, haven fallen behind him while stewing in my thoughts. It's probably a tad less important than the magic thing, and it's just another thing to throw onto the pile of shit. It should be fine.

Hopefully anyways.

**Authors note: Hey, the story's going to be more or less back on track from here on out, unless something else pops up that'd interrupt it. The size of a chapter is something that I wanna hear about from you though, I normally limit myself to ~5k words for a chapter, it's small enough for me personally to read in a few minutes, though I know it's different from person to person.**

**Last chapter was more ~10 k though, and it was a fucking great deal bigger, but it also had more things happen, and having so many chapters while at the same time not actually doing enough to progress the story, or at least progress character relations and background is something that weighs on my mind constantly. Because I do want to keep you all entertained at least, but I'd like to hear from you.**

**Would you prefer slower uploads with more words like last chapter, or would you prefer the more usual sized chapters instead? Either way it'll have the same content in the end, but the first choice is just larger, know what I mean? I'm leaning more towards the second option, because it's more chapters for people to read, and I don't want to fall behind on my own internal schedule, but I'd like to hear from you all.**

"How is it that I figured that I would see you here again Zeke? Granted, I didn't think it'd be so soon, but here we are.." The captain rumbles in a low tone, sighing afterwards as he looks over Vector and myself, the robed silent man huddling himself in a corner away from the both of us, his face at least revealed. I shrug and give the looming man an awkward smile. Thankfully dragging Edward here was uneventful, I was truthfully worried about Vector trying to skimp out on this, something in me tells me that it'd be better to drag the man here.

"Hey, I was in the right place at the right time, it wasn't my fault this time around. You were closer is all." I respond to the man tersely, crossing my arms as I look him in the eye. I'll stand by that for the rest of the conversation god dammit, while I feel like I was on the verge of figuratively shitting myself I wholeheartedly believe that it'd turn out for the worse if I wasn't there. Lucas lips twitch up in a small smile, chuckling softly.

"I don't recall saying that it was a bad thing Zeke, nor did I say it was your fault, trouble seems to follow you very easily." I sigh and rub my temple. He's very right about that, I feel akin to a lightning rod for trouble. My chest twitches, a hand moving to rub at it lightly, 'lightning rod' is very apt wording.

"You're not entirely wrong, but I like to imagine it as 'excitement' instead sometimes, positive outlook and such, this time I literally ran into it though. How's he looking?" I ask him, biting my lip as I look to the closed door of the medical bay. Kedrick basically shoved me out to look over Edward in silence, it worries me. Is he going to be okay?

"Despite your raving worry for the issue, Kedrick will figure out if he's poisoned or not. Given how he seemed beforehand, it's not likely that he's been afflicted with such, nor is it probable that he'll have any permanent wounds. He'll probably have to keep his head wound under wraps until it fully heals and take it easy, but it shouldn't be too long, hopefully there's no underlying issues related to it, but Kedrick is a good cleric, he'll find it out. He'll have a pretty painful headache for a while though, I imagine he can handle it." A breath of relief flows from my lips, it feels like a weights' been lifted off of my shoulders. I don't know the man very well, but I'd like to imagine that he's a trustworthy medic. He did take care of me after all.

"Hey, I was rightfully worried about the poison. I don't think he'll be happy about being forced to take it easy for a while, pride and all." Lucas shrugs, his eyes shifting to the shut door and the silent Vector.

"If he has an issue with the way it's being handled, he can talk to Kedrick." The mental image of the stoic and burly man looming over me scares me, let alone Edward being stuck with the man.

"He doesn't sound like he's much for conversation."

"That's because he isn't, and there won't be much chances for discussion, he's very 'firm' with his magical application of healing. What happened? If I have to deal with more paperwork, I'll have your head Zeke." He glowers and looks over to me with a threatening eye, the man really doesn't seem to enjoy paperwork very much. I wouldn't either, quills looks like it sucks to write with… could I invent pens here? It'd sell like mad. That's slightly off track, not like I know how to make a pen anyways.

"Chill, Cappy, that's why I had this fucker come with us, fill in the details and whatnot." I wave the captain off halfheartedly and jab a thumb towards Vectors direction, the man moving from foot to foot absent mindedly. Can't imagine he wants to still be here.

"Call me that again and I WILL have your head. You're Vector right? What's your side of the story here?" He threatens me with a growl before moving his eye over to the hooded man. He's silent for a while, the only mention of him actually acknowledging the captain's question is a small movement of his hood.

"No." He finally and abruptly answers as he looks over Lucas's way, squinting brown eyes lingering on him for a few short moments before looking away again. I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose, the captain's reaction being a surprisingly tame rise of an eyebrow and a slight frown.

"Come on Vec, Lucas is a nice guy, and you'd wanna get back to Gerome right?" I carefully explain to the man, nudging my head towards Lucas. I really want this dude to open up about what happened, it's probably not that bad, hopefully he wasn't doing anything illegal that'd royally fuck us up. Then again, Gerome didn't seem to like Templars very much, and he manages to skirt around the law, even just barely through the will of Edwards uncle.

"No, and yes." Another short and abrupt answer, and another pinching to the bridge of my nose, exhaling sharply through it. Right then, very useful, at least it's more than a word this time around.

"Right, forgot how amazingly talkative you are. Would you prefer to wait around until Eddy comes back out?" Sarcasm drips off of my tongue as I speak, though I end it with a genuine offer for the man, maybe he's just not comfortable about the situation itself? Who knows, might've been spooky for the man, he's not quite the fighter from what I know. Not that I can recall an incident where he's been needed to fight. He's silent for a few moments, fingers tapping against his legs as he looks around, eyes finally settling on me.

"...maybe." He finally says, eyes darting away once more. I sigh to myself, closing my eyes as I lean against a stony column. Probably the best we're gonna get out of him, at least for now, it's better than a straight no I guess.

"How is it that you manage to find the more interesting characters on Mekkan, Zeke?" Lucas pipes up, an amused chuckling rumbling in his chest as he side eyes me, a small but tight smile on his face. I raise an eyebrow to him.

"The hell does that mean?" I ask curiously, head tilting slightly. Fuck, the head tilts back, I swear I haven't done that in a while, god dammit. Makes me feel like an almost animal, or a cat.

"I've had more indulgent conversation with stone, and I've never met a person as unnerving as your scholar friend." The stone comparison is admittedly a little humorous, but scholar friend?

"Do you mean Lucy? She's not quite a friend." I reply after a bit, scratching at my chin absentmindedly. She really isn't a friend, not quite yet, nor do I think I'd like that thought, eaugh.

"She acted like one when you were in the medical bay, Edward seemed accepting of her too, so we assumed she was with you."

"I'm almost entirely sure she was hanging around to see if I'd scream."

"That does explain a few things." I sigh again, a long pained sigh, ignoring Lucas's continued amused chuckles. I'm surprised I don't feel a god damned headache building up again thinking of the little lady.

"Why did you even let her in to watch me anyways? Edward I can understand, but her?"

"As I said, we believed her to be with you, Edward didn't speak up either, furthering the assumptions of it." He answers sharply, nipping the questions in the bud with what sounds like a mentally pre-planned explanation. Maybe I'm feeling on edge cause of Lucy being brought up, he is a captain, he's probably used to speaking like this. Something stirs in my chest, scratching at it lightly as I think to myself

"...do you think she's around? The more I speak of her the more I expect her to show up." I quickly ask once more, my eyes darting left and right to gloss over the room, I don't see anyone like her, but who knows what tricks she has up her sleeves. I hum in annoyance to myself as Lucas chuckles again, that little soft smile on his face seems more teasing and smug by the second, I'd take a jab at him but I feel like he'd take my head off if he took it the wrong way.

"I personally haven't seen her around here lately, can't speak for anyone else though." It's not quite a perfect answer, but it is one nonetheless. I still feel minutely paranoid, but it's at least alleviated somewhat.

"She has a vial of my blood Lucas, just solely my blood to look at it and examine, is that normal here or is that fucking creepy?" I hiss to the man, tapping my fingers against the stone. He hums and cups his chin, taking on a faux thinking face as he looks upwards.

"No comment." He finally replies after a few almost tense moments, chuckling as I groan, thudding the back of my head against the column.

"You're a great deal of help aren't you?" He chuckles again but doesn't speak afterwards, instead standing tall and awaiting near the door. There's not much conversation to have afterwards, it's not as if Vector's gonna pipe up with a conversation topic anyways. The more I have to wait for something to happen, the more my stomach seems to writhe and flail in my body. Is he actually okay? Is something going on? Is he having the same reaction to magic that I did? Is that normal? I squeeze my eyes shut and exhale, ever so slowly. It's okay Zeke, he'll be okay.

I bite down on my lip as I continue to look up to the door, then down again, tapping my fingers against each other, pacing back and forth to pass the time. It feels like it's been an age to wait for results, but the other two seem to be okay and patient. Shit, am I annoying them with my pacing? I'd be annoyed with my pacing to be honest, I should stop. My thoughts derail quickly as the door squeaks open, an otherwise okay albeit wincing Edward stepping through. His normally pointy hair hangs down and covers his bandaged forehead, but he walks with his back straight and proudly despite his slightly pained face. He's okay Zeke, told you he'd be okay. The deep grumbling of a man, I assume to be Kedrick, whispers from behind him baritone and low to the point where I can't properly make out the words, the door slamming behind him soon after.

"Eeeyyyy Eddy my boy, you feeling alright?" I chirp happily as I slide next to him, wrapping my arm around him. I jostle him lightly with a one armed hug, looking over his bandaged head. There's a tinge of worry in me still, even if Kedricks meant to be a fantastic cleric and healer, I can't help but check anyways. Just in case.

"Tsk, my pride's more wounded than my head Fuzz." Edward scoffs, brushing my hand off with his own, though I can still see his lips twitch into a faint smile. I'm really glad that he's okay.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it too much, I'm glad you're safe though. Besides, the only beating you should be getting is when we spar."

"If I recall, the score's just one to one for either of us." He bites suddenly, a smug grin on his face as he chuckles. I huff and whap at his arm with a hand.

"Gods dammit, the first one doesn't count. I slipped!"

"I'm counting it as a win for me." He continues to snicker aloud as I glare at him, whapping his arm yet again, a little bit harder this time. The fucker, here I am worried about his safety and there he is being a smug little bastard. A small cough from Lucas interrupts the both of us, bringing us to attention, Edward clasping his hands behind his back and standing upright.

"Sorry to butt in here, but could we fix this up? I've other things that may require my attention,after all." He questions, looking between the both of us. Edwards face looks like a mix of sobered and tense as he addresses the captain. It's an odd expression

"Sorry Captain. After splitting, uh, with Zeke this morn, I spent the new few hours just wandering the town and the market. I ran into Vector here, and seeing as he is one of our charges, I opted to shadow him for a while. He was approached by a group, of which I felt compelled to step in, after which they turned aggressive. Loathe as I am to admit it, one of them got a good hit on me as I dragged Vector away, hence the head injury. I tried to move away from any citizens that could've been caught up in the fight and closer to the tower, they caught up to us and I held them off for a while until Zeke came charging in, he cleaned up the fight and ran them off." I can almost see him bite the inside of his cheek as he speaks, his hands twitching behind him as he finishes. I give the nervous looking man a squeeze on his shoulder, as well as a small nod as his eyes shift towards me before looking back to the captain. His pride must really be torn up, at least a bit, I don't think i've seen him like this before. Maybe it's because he's reporting to a Templar captain? Said captain hums to himself, as if he's mulling over his thoughts.

"Mn, I see. What's your story then 'Vector'? Did you know those people?" He addresses the still mostly silent man, his head jerking up as Lucas speaks his name. He fiddles with his hands and says nothing with terse lips for a few moments before shrugging.

"Hired thugs from rival merchants." He replies lowly and shortly before leaning back against the wall. A very short answer, very Vector. At least it explains something. Lucas hums once more, eyes squinting very lightly, scrutinising Vector

"They didn't look like they were professional mercenaries or whatnot, they looked like random villagers, just armed and with intent to harm." I pipe up and side eye Vector myself with a raised brow. They scattered like the wind pretty soon after I showed too. He shrugs again.

"Cheapskates." Another short answer, at least that one gets a small snicker out if me. Something about how blunt it is is amusing.

"How about you then Zeke? What's your side of the story?" Lucas questions again as he puts his sights on me.

"Me? Uh, split off from Eddy, went looking for him around midday, ended up tracking him down from some blood splatters and found the two of them surrounded. They scattered pretty quickly after I socked one in the jaw, I don't think they wanted to try to fight the both of us at the same time, even if Edward here wasn't in the best condition, he's still a fighter." I inform the man as I give Edward a grin and another one armed huh, chuckling as he sighs exasperatedly, a deadpan expression on his face. Lucas retreats back into his thoughts, likely to ponder about the situation revealed to him. Truthfully, I don't imagine much would happen beyond him keeping it in the back of his mind, I don't exactly know what Templars do, but I'd imagine that they wouldn't try to seek out random sellswords that have little to do with them. They're not exactly police from what I know.

"Well judging from you three have told me… No citizens or Templars have come forth with complaints or details of being harmed, there's no collateral damage, and Edward here's been patched up. Unless more concerns arise, I don't think there's much else to do, though you coming to inform me of this is something I'm thankful for. Thank the masks, I don't have to do any more fucking paperwork." The captain lets out a relieved sigh, a grin on his face as his body relaxes. The man looks genuinely happy for it too.

"Lucky you, huh?"

"Lucky you, I detest paperwork with a fervent passion, now get your asses out of here. I don't want to be seeing any of you for the next god damned week, stay out of trouble dammit." He growls and jabs a thumb towards the door, a rather not so subtle gesture to get us the fuck out.

"Yes sir!" Edward says as he salutes the captain, quickly moving away. I give the captain my one sloppy salute before following him, Vector skittishly trailing close behind. Teh doors shut behind us with a solid thudding, stretching my back and arms out with a delighted groan as I shoo ta smile to Edward.

"I say that went pretty well, don't you?" I ask him with a growing grin on my face and a friendly nudge of the elbow, a small dip of a frown forming on his face as he sighs, rubbing at his bandaged head with a hand.

"My head's fucking killing me Fuzz, I'm irked that one of them managed to get a lucky hit in cause I was focused on Vector." He grumbles underneath his breath, frown deepening lightly. My smile turns soft as I squeeze his shoulder again.

"That's just details, I'm glad you're okay Edward, I was a little worried for ya. Where are you off to now Vec?" I ask the merchant as I flick my eyes over to him, his face dour and unsmiling. Very Vector, I do wonder why he's like that though.

"I leave, go to Gerome." He eaks in a low tone while he stiffly walks past us, head hanging low. He stops for a moment, as if deep in thought before he flicks his head to us.

"...thank you." He mumbles before returning his stiff march into town, I assume to try to find Gerome, disappearing into the mess of the crowd and the town.

"You know, I think that's the most I've heard the man speak ever." I remark as I walk forward, taking the lead, Edward following close behind. The sun continues its dip into the sunset, chilly air washing over my face as I take in the scent of the sea, getting back to Erics would likely be best. It'll keep us out of trouble, also I fucking love this salty smell, god bless the sea.

"I prefer less talkative charges actually, and companions." Edward ribs, nudging at my arm with an elbow. I give the man a mock theatrical gasp, hand raised to cover my lips.

"Edward! Here I was thinking that you loved our little back and forths, as well as our time together! I believed myself to be a friend, not just a mere companion!"

"Don't flatter yourself too much, Fuzz."

"Heh, I'm glad you're okay though, I was… A little scared to be truthful." I admit to him, my voice wavering lightly as I sheepishly scratch at the back of my neck. Edward raises a brow as he tilts his head backwards.

"Why were you scared for me, Zeke?" The way he asks that seems so… strange what sort of question is that? A fucking dumb question that's for sure, the hell is this?

"The hell do you mean 'why were you scared'? We're friends you dolt." I deadpan and give him a small whap to the arm, did he magically forget that or something?

"Zeke, you know why I was thinking that, you know…" He trails off, rolling a hand as he stares. I blink, what's he talking about? Oh! Right, we had that ah, small little fight.

"Edward, you're stupid, but I'm dumb as a brick sometimes myself. I detest that you hate keidrans, and I don't like being an exception to it. But, fuck, how do I say this? I think that it's a good step, perhaps in the right direction, and I'm glad to be considered a friend by you. I don't know why you hate keidrans, and I can't magic your thoughts away into whatever I want it to be, that's just not right, it doesn't make you you, know what I mean?" I try to put together an explanation for it, but my throat feels so dry now, is that because of the nerves building in my chest? I can't believe I forgot about the little mess with him, I guess my mind was busy with other things.

"Well, you are dumb as a brick, that's for sure." His lips twitch into a small smile as I roll my eyes, nudging him with an arm as we continue our walk towards Erics. The town is oddly peaceful this afternoon, there's no chattering or murmuring, no side eyeing either. It's a good peace. The silence between us is broken by Edwards sigh, running a hand over his face.

"...I'm sorry for shoving you Zeke, truthfully. It's been eating at me for a while, I'm just not good with all this stuff. You're a good friend now, much to my surprise, and maybe that's why my Uncle wanted to push you to go on this mission with me. It's been surprisingly pleasant, and I've enjoyed it for the most part." He finally admits, it takes him a while to try to choke out the words though, twisting over his tongue. I smile, a soft and comforting warmth in my chest battering away the overly familiar chill that takes a hold of it.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up for it Eddy. I stepped out of line, and said something I shouldn't have because it slipped my mind. I hurt myself more than you hurt me, so we're cool now right buddy man?"

"Yeah, we're 'cool', don't call me that though."

"Cmon, famalam, it's not the worst thing I can call ya."

"I've changed my mind, the masks can send you to hell for all I care."

"Come on Eddy boy, you know you love me."

"I detest you."

"Love you too Ed." The ribbing and the back and forth brings a hearty chuckle from my chest, Edwards own laugh mixing with mine as we continue our walk, an odd happy pep in my step. That's finished, it's all good now, praise the fucking lord. I don't think it's a good thing to be so attached to a friend, but what else do I have here? Not very much, at least at the moment, and to myself anyways.

"...So what about the other 'issue' that arose then Fuzz?" Edward suddenly asks, his eyes shifting over to me. I hum in thought, the gears in my head turning and grinding.

"Eh? What other issue?" I ask inquisitively, I really don't have an idea on what he's talking about. Edwards face contorts into a bewildered one, brows creasing.

"You know, the whole magic thing? You shouldn't be physically capable of doing it, with or without theoretical experience or whatnot, did you forget about that? Did you pull it out of your ass, or did you figure it out in the time we were separated?" He continues. I blink, what sounds like static buzzing around in my empty skull. I fucking forgot about that, how did I forget about that?

"Oh! No fucking idea where it came from, I just let out whatever was tingling and writhing in my skull and thats what happened. It felt nice to get it all out in some way, I guess I did say that I didn't wanna talk about it so it probably slipped my mind after a while, I was a bit more worried about you after all."

"You forgot about yourself using magic? Something you freaked out about loving just a day prior? Are you okay in the head Fuzz?" He flicks at the side of my head with a finger, chuckling as I hiss at the fucker. Asshole.

"Hey! I'm okay, I think, I feel okay at the moment anyways." I assure the man with a wide and boisterous grin, who hums to himself.

"I'm glad for that, but that's still worrying, immensely worrying. That's not how magic should be feeling, nor should it be how it's released, nor should you just forget that it happened. I don't know what magic can do to a basitin either."

"Eh, what can ya do about it? I'll deal with it as it comes." I wave a hand dismissively, Ed grumbling under his breath again as he rubs at his temple.

"You worry me Zeke."

"And I'm awfully flattered for it, your worry is appreciated after all Eddy."

"You're taking it all very, what's the word, casually?" He frowns as he looks over my face, a look of worry covering his face. My heart strings tinge as his frown deepens, fuck, he's pretty worried about me then huh? Cmon Zeke, lets get through it.

"Am I? I'm confused as fuck and pretty damned worry about it all, even if I don't seem like it at the moment, I think Anna mentioned that I'd break my mind if I touched some mana crystals that she had, or something along those lines. I imagine that having to actually use magic would implode my head after a while."

"How can you be saying these things while seeming so calm?"

"No clue, just another issue to run through my head to go onto the pile of other shit I guess, despite that though I feel just fine. "

"You feel fine?"

"Better than that actually, I feel good, it felt amazing to do that. It's mother fucking magic Edward, that shits exciting!"

"Did you have any idea what you were doing? Do you know how to actually use magic?"

"Nope! I wanted them out and away from me, it got the job done right?" Edward groans, louder this time, rubbing at his temples with a renewed fervour

"Fuzz, magic isn't a type of toy to just play with." He hisses in a chiding tone, whapping my arm gently. I roll my eyes and lightly jab him in return, what a brotherly way of showing affection, just fucking hitting each other. It feels odd, but welcoming

"I'm well aware, I don't think it's a great idea to be brooding about the potential consequences of it just yet. I think I'm still on an adrenaline high kind of, while I do realise the issue of it and I'm confused, it hasn't completely hit me yet. Give it a few hours though and maybe I'll start to panic a bit more."

"You're a strange person, Zeke."

"I'm a strange friend, right?"

"Yes Fuzz, we're friends, despite our little spat." I cheer internally and pump my arm, ignoring Edwards snide chuckling.

"Fucking booyah."

"...How do you think Lucy would react to this, well, development? She did seem pretty interested in you, and she is a mage." Suddenly, every fiber of my being jumps in alarm with the mention of her name, the hairs on the back of my neck spiking upwards, along with my ears as I quickly look around the area. Is she around? She scares the shit out of me, fucking Lucy.

"I swear to fuck, you and Lucas is gonna jinx me to make her show up, I don't want her to show up Eddy. She scares me, the whole magic schtick just makes me more worried. I feel like you fuckers want her to show up." I hiss and give him a less than gentle jab again, a small flicker of smugness in my chest as he hisses and rubs at the sore spot. The fucker deserves it, the injury is on his head after all, not his arm.

"Mn, I partially do, it's entirely to spite you too." He snickers at my discontent huffing, still checking my blind spots for any potential sightings of the little mage. I've no clue why she unnerves me so, is it because she's a mage and magic puts me on my ass? Is that one meeting with her enough to put me off of her so much? It's probably the blood vial still, fucking weirdo.

"You're an asshole, I'm gonna hook you up with Kathrin or another of Erics slaves to spite you." His disgusted blanching is a rightful comeuppance for being an asshole, it brings a warm delight to my chest as I laugh aloud, Edward eventually joining in as we continue our trek up the hill, ever so closer to Erics home. God, I need to thank him and Kathrin for all their doing, I feel bad for taking up their space dammit.

I hum to myself and twist my head, looking towards the Templar tower, my lips pursing as thoughts run through my head. Very, very strange. I don't have a headache from that place, nor did I feel even the beginning of one while I was in the place, even though it's just a concentrated epicenter for magic. I feel like that's important, but I don't know why. I'll keep it in the back of my mind.

I feel like I'm forgetting something else too. I shrug to myself and hurry myself up to Edwards' side, haven fallen behind him while stewing in my thoughts. It's probably a tad less important than the magic thing, and it's just another thing to throw onto the pile of shit. It should be fine.

Hopefully anyways.

**Authors note: Hey, the story's going to be more or less back on track from here on out, unless something else pops up that'd interrupt it. The size of a chapter is something that I wanna hear about from you though, I normally limit myself to ~5k words for a chapter, it's small enough for me personally to read in a few minutes, though I know it's different from person to person.**

**Last chapter was more ~10 k though, and it was a fucking great deal bigger, but it also had more things happen, and having so many chapters while at the same time not actually doing enough to progress the story, or at least progress character relations and background is something that weighs on my mind constantly. Because I do want to keep you all entertained at least, but I'd like to hear from you.**

**Would you prefer slower uploads with more words like last chapter, or would you prefer the more usual sized chapters instead? Either way it'll have the same content in the end, but the first choice is just larger, know what I mean? I'm leaning more towards the second option, because it's more chapters for people to read, and I don't want to fall behind on my own internal schedule, but I'd like to hear from you all.**

**19/06/2020 EDIT: I didn't actually proof read some parts, whoops, word bolding and italics have been implemented too**


	26. Chapter 26

A general silence reigns in the room, the gentle breathing of the unconscious girl seems to rebound on the walls of this place, blankets wrapped around the girl in a warm and makeshift seal.

"Zeke." His voice pierces the silence, a tinge of almost hostility hidden below the steel of be honest, I probably should have remembered that the girl was still here.

"What." How the hell did I manage to forget her? I guess there were other things that's been happening today, and there was stuff with Edward, but still.

"The fuck is this." His voice hits an almost shrill ending note as he finally finishes his question, the girl's gentle breath hitching as her slumber's disturbed, softly mumbling as she moves, the both of us silent. It dies down, her soft breathing filling the room once again as I raise a finger to my lips, shushing the man while I tug at his shirt, yanking him out of the room in a hushed manner.

"Well, it's a keidran, i think you might've seen one before, they're kinda fuzzy and stuff." I sarcastically whisper to him as I shove him out the door, turning back to check on the girl. Still silent, kind of snoring, thank god she wasn't awoken by any of that. I let out a soft thankful sigh as I close the door behind me, Edward's a prick for barging into my room like that, tsk.

"Zeke."

"Yes?" Edward lets out a long suffering sigh as he rubs at his temple, face twinging in annoyance as I turn around, giving him a sickly sweet and faux innocent smile.

"Did, did you steal this girl? What the fuck?" He asks in an accusative tone, looking up to me with piercing eyes. I roll my eyes and wave a hand dismissively, leaning against the door.

"No no no, I actually bought her, I'm no thief."

"You bought a fucking slave?" He continues to pry, I bite at my lip as I level my hand back and forth.

"Eeeeehhhhh, well, not officially."

"What."

"Not yet! I still need to get the paperwork and stuff, but that's something I plan to do tomorrow, before we leave anyways." I assure the man, who groans again and continues to feverishly rub at his temples, pacing back and forth.

"You infuriate me." He finally says as he sighs, leaning on the wall opposite to me, thudding the back of his head on the wood. I roll my eyes once more, giving another wave.

"It's not that bad Eddy, calm down."

"It's not that bad? Zeke you own a fucking slave, don't you loathe people that own slaves? Especially keidran ones?"

"Well, yeah, but that's besides the point. I know why I have her, kind of anyways. I don't know why I feel compelled to do so, but it's better than her just hanging around some pirates."

"You met with fucking pirates?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I the only one here that sees the issues here? Eric?" He suddenly shoots his sight towards the somewhat amused slave trader, convenient given the conversation topic. He simply sips at his tea and chuckles, giving a polite smile to Edward.

"I've no comment to make." He says simply as he sips at his tea, chuckling afterwards and giving a polite smile to Edward, who squeezes his eyes shut and lets out an aggravated sigh.

"Fuck the both of you."

"Could you please refrain from the uncouth language, at least for a few moments? That goes for the both of you, might I add." Eric softly requests, though I can feel the edge of disapproval beneath his voice as he frowns, brows furrowing as he alternates his stare between the two of us. I gingerly rub at the back of my neck, Edward sighing again, he's done that a lot already. Oh boy.

"Right, my apologies Eric." Edward apologies, nodding along with him as I face Eric. He smiles thankfully, dipping his head for a moment.

"Thank you. Edward does bring a valid point, though, I believed you to hold a feeling of disdain for those who'd own slaves, what brought you to purchase one?" Eric pokes with a question of his own, something I fully expected, but the frog in my throat croaks, coughing to clear it

"It feels… hard to explain, kind of anyways, I don't like the thought of being called a slave master, but I think that taking her off of Va- the other persons' hands would be for the best, at least for her. I don't know, maybe I'm just a hypocrite. I'd want to just, let her free, you know? But I can't guarantee her safety if I do that. At least this way, I can make sure she's okay, or at least that I know what's going on." I try my best to explain myself to Eric, and to Edward as well, two birds one stone I guess. Eric hums to himself, nodding gently.

"Hm, I see. There's also the fact of the matter that simply releasing a slave is something that's been made illegal, it's been so for a while." I blanch as he speaks, what the fuck?

"Eh? Who the hell thought of that?" I almost demand, trying to calm down the simmering blood in my veins. He's a fucking asshole!

"Trace Legacy, of course." He answers swiftly. I scoff and grimace, crossing my arms

"I immediately dislike him." I have _so _much more to say about the man, but I bite back my tongue, I can already guarantee that it'd violate the little promise I agreed to just moments ago. Eric coughs gently, continuing to sip at his tea afterwards.

"It would be best to not speak such things of him, he is a man of great power after all." He warns in an almost half scolding way.

"Pfeh, it still rubs me the wrong way. My old boss sucks then." I grumble halfheartedly, sighing through pursed lips. _That_ seems to have caught Erics' attention though, an eyebrow raised.

"Your old boss?" He points out inquisitively, sipping at his tea once more. Did I not tell him about that?

"Oh yeah, I used to be a Templar before the amnesia thing, surprise." I explain to him unceremoniously, giving a less than enthusiastic soft cheer afterwards.

"Mn, I'm not entirely surprised." Now that catches _my _attention, my ears twitching upwards as he speaks. I shoot Edward a soft glare as he sniggers, stop judging my ear twitches you twat!

"Eh? Why's that? I thought that Templars were solely human because, you know." I trail off as I wave my hand around, I think he knows what I mean.

"They are almost entirely human, that much is true, but there have been basitins who've been enlisted, whether or not they've done so willingly or by direction of a superior is something I'm unsure of. They have been more basitin who've worked with Templars in the last few years, though." I hum to myself as he continues to explain, a nice revelation of information at least.

"Huh, really? News to me, do you recall why? I've heard that basitins are _somewhat _xenophobic after all." Eric closes his eyes and hums in deep thought, silently slurping down what seems to be the rest of his tea."

"The reason why there's been more is not one I can recall, sadly my apologies Zeke." I wave my hands at the apology, an odd bashfulness burning at my cheeks.

"No no! It's okay, don't say sorry to me about it! I truly thank you for informing me about it all though, it's a small bit of information to recall, just in case. Say, have you ever ran into my Eric? In the past, I mean."

"You've my apologies again, Zeke, and if I recognised you, I'd have said so." He apologies once again with a shake of his head.

"_Please _don't apologise, it makes me feel bad. It's something I've been wondering about for a while is all."

"Hey, can we get back on topic? Do you have any idea on what you're going to do with her?" Edward suddenly butts in with a biting question of his own, a firm glare staring straight through me.

"Hmm, nope!" I answer after a small thoughtless hum, giving him another cheerful smile as he groans again."

"You don't have any plan for any of this, do you?"

"Well, getting her food and other things is a plan right?" I counterquestion him, giggling as he rubs his hands over his face in an aggravated way.

"You're hopeless, gods damn you Zeke." My sarcastic bite dies before it even begins in my throat, a small yelping noise faintly coming from the room behind me. I bite at my cheek as I hold a finger to my lips, hushing the two as I dip into the room, softly shutting the door behind me while I curse myself, god fucking dammit Zeke, you woke the girl! I quietly approach the occupied bed, the once still girl now huddled against the head of the bed, her golden eyes darting from myself to other areas of the room. Even through the thick blankets that cover her, it can't cover the shivering of her form. Her eyes finally land squarely on my own as I reach the side of her bed.

Her eyes shine with a watery look as she stares up to me, her breathing is heavy as her small chest heaves, though I give her what I hope to be a gentle and warm smile, leaning down to the girl.

"Hey, lil lass, do you remember me? I want to help you. Are you okay?" I try to ask her softly, I can feel my heart strings twinge as her eyes continue to water, the girl sniffles and rubs away the almost tears. She slowly takes the covers off of her body, fur and hair still as matted as when I last saw her, stepping away as she sits upright, her legs dangling off of the bed. She seems almost hesitant, or mesmerised by the bed itself before she pushes herself off of it, her arms opening wide as she latches onto me. She continues to sniffle even as she smothers her face into my shirt, a wet feeling alongside the tears. I clench my jaw and reach down, rubbing my hand over the top of her head, her sniffling turning into a soft sobbing as I massage my digits into her scalp.

I continue to frown as I kneel in front of her, wrapping my arms around her comparatively tiny frame and just embracing the girl. She continues her sobbing into my neck, I can feel her claws almost dig into my fur, rubbing my hand up and down her back, still keeping a hand on her head, rubbing behind her ears.

"Sh sh sh, it's okay little lass, you're safe now, I promise." I coo softly into her ears, a determined grimace on my face. Perhaps she had a nightmare, Zeke? It's not too unlikely, she latched onto you like a lifeline from what was once a peaceful sleep, she could just be terrified of her surroundings, she doesn't know where she is after all. Amidst my musing, her sobbing slowly turning back into sniffling, then into a gentle purr as she continues to nuzzle into my neck. Even her breathing slowing down into a more gentle manner, though I still rub up and down her back. Make sure she's okay Zeke.

I finally pull myself away from her, taking care to examine up and down her face. Her face is marred with tear stains from the ugly crying, but she doesn't seem to be in any discomfort.

"Are you okay, little miss?" I ask her softly as I continue to look into her eyes, the way they glow is.. Almost entrancing, I suppose, it's a soft glow. She looks hesitant, her eyes looking away from my own, but she does nod gently after a while.I let out a relieved and happy sigh as she finally responds, my lips twitching into a wide smile.

"That's good, I'm glad you're alright. Do you have a name, little miss?" I try to poke a little with my questions, I truly don't know much about her. Fear floods her eyes as she jolts away, pushing herself out of my arms. Worry fills my veins as I raise my palms to her, frowning deeply. Did I push too hard?

"It's okay, you don't need to talk little miss. I won't hurt you and I won't force you, I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye." I calmly but hurriedly reassure the girl, making a cross on my chest and jabbing my thumb towards my eye in a solemn swear. She bites her lip as she pushes herself against the side of the bed, her feared eyes shakily looking into mine, a tense silence filling the room.

"...M-mabel." She finally answers after what feels like an age, her voice is soft like silk and low, even through the small shaking croak, likely from disuse. Her postures still tense as she pushes herself from the bed, stepping a bit closer to me, though still jittery. Mabel, huh?

"Mabel, that's a lovely name." I give her a warm smile and a thumbs up, still kneeling in front of her. She seems.. Confused by the compliment, her head tilting, but she does give her own shaky smile, her hands clasped in front of herself. I hum to myself and look towards the door, biting at the insides of my cheek. Is it a smart idea to try to get her out of her comfort zone so quickly? I do want her to be cleaned up a little bit at least, hm…

"Little Miss Mabel, do you want to meet some friends of mine? They're good friends, they don't want to hurt you either, one of them's like you, too. I won't force you to come, no one will hurt you, I swear on it." I slowly explain my offer to her with a determined look, that's a promise I'll keep god dammit. She hesitates again, her hands wringing with a tense nervous energy, biting at her lip again, her slitted pupils dilating slightly as she looks towards the door.

"You really don't _have _to come if you don't want to, Miss Mabel." I say again, nudging my head towards the bed, I won't take that option away from her. She's a nervous wreck as is. She swallows a nervous gulp, giving a shaky nod, apprehension in her eyes.

"O-okay.." She finally agrees. I give her a nod and stand to full height, reaching down with a hand and ruffling at her stringy hair.

"Okay, I'll protect you little Mabel. Do you want to hold my hand?" I give her another offer as I wiggle my hand in front of her, she doesn't hesitate with taking my hand into her own at least, both of them tightly grasping at my gloved hand. I give her another nod and a warm smile, wrapping my fingers around her small paws, slowly guiding the both of us out of the room. I admire her courage to try to push herself, whatever past she has probably hasn't been kind to her.

As I shut the door behind us, Mabel exhales a soft whine, shifting herself behind my legs and hiding in my cloak, her small snout the only thing visibly jutting out. I reach down and ruffle her head with my hands, scratching behind her ears to soothe the girl.

"These are my friends, they're okay, I promise." I whisper softly to her, the girl mutely whinging again before pushing herself into view, though she still leans heavily into my leg, her hands wringing together intensely while she looks up to the two.

"So, this is the girl huh?" Edward points out the obvious, his eyes looking down on the poor girl with poorly veiled disinterest. At least he doesn't seem _hostile_, baby steps. Eric looks onto her too, his eyes seeming as if he's closely examining the girl, humming all the while.

"Yeah, she doesn't seem like she's comfortable around humans. But that's okay, small steps." I say as I nod towards Edward, still keeping a soft hand on the girls head as she glues herself to my side. I'm proud of her, truthfully. It'd be hard.

"She looks stuck to your hip, Zeke." Edward unhelpfully points out with a deadpan expression, raising an eyebrow. I roll my eyes and give the girl another rub, who exhales softly in return.

"Not that I fault her, who knows what she's been through." I deflect with a shrug, shooting Edward a raised brow of my own.

"..I truly hope your tastes are not what I think it may be, Zeke. She's barely beyond a child in keidran years, after all." Eric finally speaks up from his humming, a direct and almost accusatory tone in his voice as he looks straight through me. I blanch, a dry bile filling my throat, Edward verbally voicing his disgust alongside it.

"Eaugh! What the hells, Eric? I'd never stoop _that _low, I feel almost slighted that you'd think so. Why would anyone do that to begin with?" I exclaim with a disgusted sneer, my hold on Mabel tightening lightly as I look down to her. Her expression is a confused one, her head tilted sideways as she looks up to me. Her eyes, they're so _innocent_, she's a sweet but scared little girl. I smile lightly and rub my hand atop her head, her eyes squeezing shut with a delighted little smile on her face.

"You truly have no idea on what keidrans are like, do you? Or the slave trade?" Eric says flatly, his eyes still flickering between myself and the keidran.

"Nope, I was going to ask you on what to do with a keidran to be truthful, and maybe I did know what slave trades were like once upon a time, amnesia remember?" I point out with a shrug, a finger tapping against my temple. The two of them sigh one after the other, Edward thudding his head against the wooden wall once more. That _has _to hurt after a while, right? He really shouldn't be doing that in his condition.

"Well, I'd be perfectly fine with teaching you the lighter subjects on keidran, I can imagine that there'd be topics you'd be less comfortable with discussing. I could be incorrect, but I've books on their biology after all." Eric offers after a sigh. There's a small giddy part of me that lights up with that, books! In a library! Sure, it's not a fantastic topic to look up on, but it's better safe than sorry, right?

"Zeke's a nerd, sounds like he'd like it." Edward jeers with a snicker, only deepening his laugh as I give him a glare, pouting lightly.

"Go to hell Edhead"

"Edhead?"

"Dickhead, but it's just you"

"You're hilarious aren't you?"

"You're goddamn right I am, I'm hysterical to me." I gloat proudly, puffing out my chest with a smug grin and chuckling myself. Ah yes, solid bit of self deprecating double sided humour right there Zeke, good job.

"Must I remind you of your speech here?" Eric chides again with a frown. My grin dashed from gloatful to abashed. Tsk, you really need to work on that Zeke, especially around the kid. Can't give them a poor figure to look up to, that's what you want right?

"Right, my apologies Eric." I apologise with a small head tilt. Eric sighs again, a disappointed frown still glued to his face.

"Please keep it in mind, I've no qualm on how you speak elsewhere"

"But your house is your house, I understand Eric, I'll keep a closer eye on it. Sorry to deviate from the topic at hand, but might I ask where Kathrin is? I did ask her for a favour for Mabel after all." I quickly question, trying to move from the topic.

"I'm aware. Kathrin!" Eric answers with a nod, twisting his head and shouting down the hall. There's a small noise from somewhere, as well as the quick pattering of paws as Kathrin steps into view. Her spotted visage is always a welcoming sight, her smile a bright one as she comes forth, wearing a slightly stained apron. She's cute, god dammit.

"Yes master!" She chirps brightly, her smile only widening as she looks to Eric. Her voice is a friendly one, naturally, but I know _why _she says it as such. It's amusing in a cute way, but judging from the way Eric seems to react to her, it could be a more one sided charm. Yeesh, sorry Kathrin.

"May you please escort the young lady here to the baths?" Eric requests with a nudge of his head. Mabel seems a lot calmer as Kathrin approaches her, her head still tilted as she looks up to the comparatively adult figure.

"Of course! Awh, she's a cute little girl isn't she? Does she have a name yet?" She says in a cooing manner, her face warm and welcoming as she leans down to the girl. Mabels grip on me slips lightly, her paw twisting lightly into the wood.

"Do you want to introduce yourself to her, little miss? She's a friend too, you'll like her." I speak down to her encouragingly, kneeling beside her and giving a soft warm squeeze. She still seems nervous, still apprehensive, but not shockingly so compared to before. Is it because she's already out of her comfort zone, or because Kathrins a keidran? Golden eyes connect with blue, the smaller girl unresponsive verbally.

"Tsk, is she gonna talk or what?" Edward suddenly interjects, breaking the fragile peace. Mabel lets out a soft childish yelp as she hides herself from view again, covered by my cloak. I tsk and give Edward a disapproving glare, frowning deeply.

"Come on Edward, let her do it in her own time dammit. You've _scared _her, stop being mean."

"She's just a keidran, what does it matter?" Edward scoffs with crossed arms, looking down to the both of us. My frown turns to a grimace, gripping at the shaking girl again.

"F-, no, I'll bite my tongue. Don't worry about him little miss, he's mean but means well. Kathrin's a nice girl, I promise." I bite back any scathing remarks I have and focus on tending to the girl, nudging her lightly and soothingly. She finally stops shaking at least, swallowing down a visible gulp as she looks up to her.

"M-my names Mable, miss…" She finally squeaks out in an ever so soft voice. Kathrin's face lights up brightly as she daws over her reaching down and petting at the girl. Surprisingly, she doesn't pull away from her, though still confused, she leans into the affectionate fawning, a small soft smile on her face.

"That's a lovely name, miss Mable!" She coos again, her wide grin only becoming brighter. She suddenly blushes a light red and pulls away, brushing her apron down, she almost looks embarrassed. Mabel looks a little saddened from her moving away, a proud warmth filling my chest. They're making friends with each other, fuck yeah!

Mabel tilts her head and pouts, opening her mouth and chattering… something? I raise an eyebrow and look up to Edward, a similarly confused look on his face. Kathrins face is one of surprise, though she responds in kind, the two of them smiling wide as they speak to each other.

"It seems that Mabel here is rather proficient in keidran, at least verbally. Far from a surprise, but something to remember at least." Eric chirps up informatively, wiping at his glasses in the meantime. Keidran? Oh! The language, whoops.

"Are there keidran who don't know the language?" I ask him, eyes looking over Mabel. She seems drawn into the conversation with Kathrin, a bright smile on her face as they continue their chattering. She seems ever so slightly more upbeat as she speaks, even though I can't understand a word she says, I'm glad that she's smiling. Her lovely little smile frames her face adorably.

"Slaves who're solely brought up within human captivity would be incapable of speaking keidran, obviously. It is a learned language after all." He replies. Ah, that does make sense. A person who's brought up without speaking wouldn't know how to speak after all, can't learn a language without a tutor after all. Hm, kind of sounds like Mabel's a smart kid then. I smile and give a pat to her head, semi interrupting her conversation with the lady. I'm proud of her, but, who taught her keidran then? Maybe her previous owners had other slaves that taught her?

"Oh! Sorry about that, it's just a surprise to find another that can speak keidran." Kathrin suddenly apologises, a light embarrassed red dusting on her face.

"Aw, don't worry about that miss Kathrin, I thought it was pretty cute." I reply after a short chuckle, standing upright. I mirthfully chuckle again as Kathrin blushes a brighter red, an abashed and nervous grin on her face as she giggles herself. God fucking dammit, always had a soft spot for cats, she's just a big god damned cat. A _pretty _cat. What does that make me then? Other than weird anyways.

"Well, do you want to come with me, Miss Mabel? Mister Zeke asked me to clean you up when you awoke, can you follow me?" Kathrin speaks after coughing lightly, smooth enough topic change girl. Mabel clamps her mouth shut, pressing herself back against my legs, back to gripping at it again. I kneel next to Mabel once again, a comforting hand rubbing atop her head once more.

"Hey, it's okay little Mabel, Kathrin's a nice girl. She'll wash you up, and I'll be there when you have a warm bed to sleep in." I try to reassure her, trying to keep a warm smile on my face despite Edwards scoffing, I'll deal with him later. Mabel wrings her hands together for a few moments, her eyes fogged over in thought.

"..Okay" She meekly agrees, nodding lightly. I wrap my arms around her and squeeze softly, nudging at her head with my own.

"You're a brave girl, I promise that it'll be fine. Be good for Kathrin though, okay? I'll be there when you get out." I promise her with a determined nod, she seems confused, but nods in return, a light smile on her lips. I ruffle her hair before standing up right, lightly nudging her towards Kathrin. Kathrin speaks in keidran once again before leading the girl away, I assume to the bathing area, Mabel twisting her head backwards as her tail twitches erratically. I nod again, staring into her eyes with a light smile on my face, a small smile of her own appearing on her lips for a brief moment before turning away. I sigh and lean against the door, letting loose a deep breath I didn't realise I was holding to begin with. Why do you feel so concerned for her, Zeke? She's just a keidran.

Because I feel responsible for her being here, I guess. Looking into those golden eyes of hers reminds me of what I saw from that dream journal, at least faintly. Whether or not she's the _same _person I recall is up in the air, she doesn't seem to recognise me, maybe it's a mix up of another keidran I might've ran into? I groan and rub at temple, a headache forming in my skull, does any of that make sense? I think it does, fuck.

"With that, I best be off, I've my own things to do. I wish you both a good night." Eric suddenly declares, stepping past the both of us with a wave of his hand, I assume to bid a farewell. The two of us bid him a good night in our own way, Edward a tad more subdued than myself. Silence reigns the hall as we stand opposite from one another, it's an almost awkward silence.

"So…" I begin and trail off, rubbing at the back of my neck.

"So." He responds in kind with a raised eyebrow, both of us staring into the other.

"Why are you such a prick, huh? The hell's up with that?" I blurt out, frowning as I cross my arms.

"Eh? What do you mean by that?" He questions back, in what _sounds_ like a genuinely confused tone.

"The hell do you mean what do I mean? Mabel's a kid, it's pretty mean to spook her like that, come on Edward."

"Oh right, that. I'm not sure what the problem is to be honest, she's just a keidran." I let out a heated exhale, my eyebrows furrowing further. Are we really gonna do this shit again?

"Just a keidran? Edward, she's a _kid, _I don't know much about kiedran biology, but she's still a child.

"I don't get why you're so huffy about it, honestly."

"For fucks sake. Fine, you don't think she's 'worthy' of respect because she's a keidran, right?"

"More or less, hasn't done anything I believe to stand out from any of the other mutts, so I'll treat her as I would the rest of them."

"What about property, then?"

"What?"

"She's my property, right? At least she will be soon, loathe as I am to say it. If she's _mine, _then I'd appreciate it if you'd treat her with some _speck _of it at least, if only for myself." That demand seems to take him by surprise, his face morphing into one of confusion.

"Fuzz, you _can't _be serious."

"I'm dead serious Eddy, at least until you respect her on her own merits rather than what she is. Shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"Fucks sake, will you get off my back about this if I do?"

"Perhaps, if I get upset I'll just beat you up." I say with joking pride, letting loose a few mock punches in the air along with a grin. Edward remains silent in contemplation before sighing, raising his hands up in surrender.

"Fine, I'll respect that she's your property, at least. Happy?"

"Not entirely, but it'll do."

"I detest you Fuzz."

"Love you too bud, love you too."

"Anyways, I'm likely going to sleep for the night, my head's killing me." To be honest, that doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

"Are you gonna be okay Edward? You really should take care of yourself after all." I warn with a frown, rolling my eyes as the man scoffs, waving his hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about me, my skull's thick enough." I stifle a snicker as he walks away, giving him a small wave. I already knew that his skull was as thick as a brick, wasn't too sure if that was just mentally or not. Not like you're one to talk, brick for brains.

I sigh to myself and continue to lean against the door. Fuck, do I just wait around for Kathrin and Mabel to finish up? What else should I do? Do I have time to read some books or something? Pfeh, I'll wait for them, it shouldn't be too long.

…

It wasn't a short time by any means, patiently waiting for the two of them to finish up didn't bore me too much. Seeing Mable with cleaner fur and such brought a smile to my face, she doesn't look so grimy and unkempt, she doesn't smell like a slave anymore! It's almost strange to see her without the rags, or without _clothes _in general, but I'd rather they'd be discarded. I can always get her better clothes in the future.

"You've my thanks, miss Kathrin, I really couldn't have done it without you." I thank the older girl with a polite bow of my head, resting a hand behind Mabels, rubbing behind her ears every so often. She basically dragged my hand to her head when she returned, can't say no to her either.

"It's okay mister Zeke! She's a nice little girl, I'd do it any time." She responds with a giggle, shooting that bright grin of her down to Mabel. She doesn't respond verbally, but she audibly purrs at least, a small smile of her own on her face.

"Please, you don't have to call me that, just Zeke will do. You've done a lot for me miss Kathrin, more than I felt comfortable asking of you, if you need anything from me, please don't hesitate to ask."

"I'll be okay Zeke, I do like to help after all."

"It doesn't feel right to take and not give back, though, at least keep it in mind please?" Kathrin hums for a moment, a finger raised to her chin in faux thought before giggling.

"Maybe I will, maybe I won't, you should ask me for more favours though. I really don't mind it, massages are always something I'd love to give~" I feel my face flush a light red as I cough into a hand, ears pressing down on my neck. God dammit Kathrin, stop being cute, and flirty. Does she even realise how she sounds? A small squeaking yawn brings my attention away from the lady, Mabel nuzzling softly into my gloved hand with an open maw, yawning louder.

"I'll ah, keep it in mind, Look after yourself though Kathrin. Ready for bed little lassy?" Said girl nods quickly, her hands reaching up to grasp mine. I smile as Kathrin coos again, reaching her hand down to rub the little ones head.

"Bring her back some time, she's lovely to be around. I haven't seen a child keidran around since, ever I think. Good night to the two of you though, sleep well." We bid each other our farewells, Kathrin heading down the hall while I bring her new room. Well, new and temporary, and my own room. It's only a night, I can sleep elsewhere. She's silent as she slides into the bed, almost tentatively, laying her head against the soft pillows as I drag the sheets upwards to her chest.

"Sleep well little lass, we're gonna be leaving tomorrow morning, so this might be the comfiest sleep you'll have for a while. I wish I could do more about it, I'll try to buy a bedroll or something before we go." I quietly warn and wish for her, rubbing her head with a hand before twisting away, making my way out of the room. I hope she'll be fine sleeping alone.

"..Why?" A soft quiet question flows in the air, almost inaudible to even my ears. I hum and turn around, raising an eyebrow.

"Why what, kid?" I answer her question with a question of my own as I turn to face her. She wrings her hands together atop the sheets nervously, her eyes looking around the room.

"Why are you h-helping me, mister Zeke?" She finally asks again, twisting around in the bed slightly. I frown as she continues to wiggle around, an uncomfortable and nerve wracked look on her face. She sounds so suspicious, so wary, a spiteful part of me wishes to bite at her previous owner. Prick, at least give the kid a bed so she doesn't think it a trap later in life.

"I'm still not entirely sure, I keep thinking of different answers and responses to that, it's all kind of muddled. I haven't been the best person in life, and I want to be different from that. I promised to protect you, and I'll hold myself to that, I swear on it." She doesn't seem entirely convinced by that answer, or confident in it, her golden eyes on edge with how they flicker and filled with caution. I sigh to myself, running a hand over my face.

"I don't know what you've been through kid, and I can't fix that immediately. I know you don't like humans, I really do understand that. But I'll look after you as best as I can, okay?" A tense silence fills the room, her hands gripping the edge of the blankets.

"...Okay." She finally says with a small nod of her head. I give her a soft smile and a nod of my own, turning and making my way to the door.

"Sleep well kid." I speak up with finality, twisting and giving her a final look before shutting the door behind me. I barely make it a few steps down the hall before leaning against the wall, sliding down it with a slump, planting my face in my hands. My heartbeat quickens and my veins pulse with life, letting out a barely held breath and gasping for air. Fuck, what the fuck am I doing? To make such a promise to a kid that's obviously been through some shit is stupid, fuck fuck fuck!

Okay, lets' calm down. It's night, right? Everyones probably fucked off to bed, maybe I could throw myself down the streets into town, relax myself near the sea like last time. That sounds like a good idea, right? I take in a hissing breath of air and stand on shaky legs, leaning on the wall to balance myself properly before making my way down the stairs, running my hand through my hair.

Relax Zeke, we'll get to the sea eventually, then we can relax for a bit. Nothing like salty air to think, right?


	27. Chapter 27

I sigh tensely as I plant myself onto the stone wall, looking out to the shimmering sea, the waves slowly washing against the docks. It's a cool night, right? It feels like it, but my mind seems so hazy and dulled, the sea salt smell that washes over my senses mixes with the chill of the night, there's an odd crispness in the air. Tsk, it seems to be a cold and silent night thankfully, akin to the last time I was down here at least. I'm grateful for that at least, the haze in my mind growing heavier with worry as I groan and slouch, rubbing at my face. What the hell's the plan Zeke? What _are _you doing with that girl? Mabel, that's her name right? It's a pretty name for a pretty and young girl, what do you actually plan on doing with her? Do you want to be some big goddamn hero to her, a paragon of heroic good that you joked about before being thrown into this place? Is that why you're treating her like she's made of fragile glass?

I groan again as an ache pulses through my head, gripping and rubbing at my temple. I have no idea what I'm doing, not a solid idea anyways. I know what I want to do for the future, I want to give her a proper life, at least the potential for one, a slave in name but not in heart. I won't be like the others that I've seen or that she could've had, not even close. I don't know what she's been through, the girl shakes like leaves in the wind desperately dangling onto a branch for a semblance of stability, her claws digging into my skin, albeit ever so slightly. Desperately.

Do you think you can just 'fix' her problems Zeke? Who's to say that whats happened to her is something that _can _be fixed? What if you just make things worse, for yourself and for her because of your arrogance?

Another problem onto the pile, at least I willed myself to undertake this one. I rub at my arm, tugging my glove off and flexing my hand and fingers in the moonlight, eyes closely examining the way they curl and curve. It looks so normal, at least as normal as it usually does. And yet, I was flinging fucking _magic_ around willy nilly without a care in the world just today. Fucking _magic_, such a foreign concept and one that was straight up impossible back home. There's a small part of me that's giddy, _excited _to use and abuse it, is that normal? Perhaps there's other basitins who can use magic that's immune to the mental decay that Anna said would happen?

Immune, Zeke? You've been talking to yourself mentally for a good while, don't you think that'd fall under mental degradation? At least a _little_ bit?

Mn, I suppose so, but who's to say that others don't talk to themselves every once in a while? I don't think that's unhealthy at least. Maybe I'm not immune, then, maybe it's just a slow process, thorough and absolute. Yeah, that sounds like it'd make sense, I think. I know fuck all about magic, let alone how it affects a god damned basitin. I should talk to Anna about it when I get back to her though, maybe she'd like to meet Mabel? I feel like I've gotten off topic, what was I thinking about? Fuck, there goes that train of thought, I mumble under my breath as I pull my glove back on, a poor defense against the cold, but it's not like anything I'd do would make much of a difference.

"Hiya." A soft and gentle voice abruptly ends the thoughts stewing in my mind, yelping and pushing away from the source. I breathe a deep sigh and rest a hand on my chest, trying to soothe my rapidly beating heart.

"Miss Lucy, do you mind _not _doing that? I don't feel as if it's good for my health." I gently scold the lady with a frown, huffing lightly as she giggles, looking up to me with a coy smile as she dangles her legs off of the edge.

"Nice to meetcha again too, fuzzy. How are ya feeling?" She asks with a head tilt, her eyes half lidded and unwavering. I raise an eyebrow, squirming lightly as she continues to stare, rubbing at the back of my neck.

"Truthfully? Concerned, and worried, about a lot of things really. Nothing I can't handle though, why do you ask Miss Lucy?" I answer her question, slipping one of my own in the end. She hums and continues to stare, breathing a soft sigh of relief as she finally turns her sight to the sea, the lady finally blinking.

"You know why I'm asking ya fuzzy, it's nice to see you being more you, ya know?" She shoots me a childish grin. I blink, scratching at the back of my head.

"Uh, I guess? Actually, no I don't. I have no clue on what you mean Lucy." She responds with a giggle, the grin fading to a more gentle smile. It's a small one, it's an almost melancholic and sad smile as she faces the sea.

"You're quite a bit dull, aren't cha? No offense." She responds unhelpfully, giggling again as I roll my eyes, leaning back and facing towards the sea with her.

"You can't say 'no offense' and just not expect people to be offended, Miss Lucy… None taken though, I've heard that a lot recently."

"From yourself, or from others?"

"Bit of column A, bit of column B."

"Speaking to yourself, fuzzy?"

"It happens occasionally, not that I have much control over it."

"Explains why you didn't hear me, I _was _trying to get your attention before I surprised ya."

"Ah, truly? My apologies then miss, I was thinking, thinking quite a lot really."

"You're a lot different than when I met ya this morning, less tense, less _almost _hostile. That's what I meant by 'you being more you', ya know?"

"That, hm, that does make a bit more sense actually, now that you put it that way. I do want to say sorry for how I acted, it was far from kind after all."

"Pfah, don't worry bout it, I've heard far worse, built up thick skin from life. You musta had a fair bit goin through your mind to act like that though."

"That's one way to put it, there's a lot more going through my head right now to be truthful. I feel like I can handle it a bit better though, I think I said that."

"You did, actually, do you have short term memory loss or somethin? It's common for old people after all."

"I, what? I'm not that old! I'm twenty, I think. Probably twenty-something"

"You _think_?"

"Shoot me, Lucy."

"I would, but I don't imagine that Edward would enjoy having to lug you around again~"

"I don't think he would, either. That reminds me, what the fuck were you doing looking over me with Edward that day anyways?"

"I was curious, duh, dontcha know what curiosity is?"

"I know _what_ curiosity is Lucy, I don't know _why _you're so curious about me, specifically."

"Aw, is little Zekey concerned?"

"Yes, actually, immensely."

"Eheheheh, dontcha worry, I don't wanna hurt ya, you're just a... puzzle, I guess."

"A puzzle?"

"An amnesiac basitin who acts very unlike _any _basitin I've ever had the displeasure of meeting? That within itself is something I wanna poke around in."

"Ich, I've heard that I'd be a bad basitin, don't remind me"

"Does that bother ya much fuzzy?"

"I don't think so, not really. Sure, at least a little bit of me wants to remember what that island's like, to remember my upbringing. If I knew how they would act, I'd like to at least _try _to act more normal for once, but I don't know what _their _normal is meant to be, other than from what I've learnt in books and others. Hell, I dunno what's meant to be normal around here." Let's not get into the fact that past you was a Templar who _relished _in the fact that you were a prick, huh Zeke? No need to spill your guts about that any more than you already have, it's almost attention seeking with how bad you regurgitate that shit.

"Mhm mhm, I understand. Does it really matter though? That you don't remember your past I mean."

"Part of me thinks it does, part of me thinks it's best to forget about it all. But, if there's anything I could do to fix what I've done, I'd love to have the chance to do _something _about it." I grit my teeth and rub at my temple, the passing visage of Ashfords disgusted and distraught face passes through my mind. Is there something I can do to fix _that _mess? Would he forgive me for what I've done? Do you really think you deserve forgiveness?

"And what of the memories that could be dragged up from remembering it? Do you think that it'd be a smart idea to try to do that?"

"Ah, you seem to be mistaken, I don't generally think Miss Lucy, I'm very bad at it. Good or bad, it's something that I've done, and trying to act as if I didn't is just shameful of me." She titters, a soft airy sound with a coy smile on her face, kicking her dangling legs off of the wall childishly. She's so… strange, maybe it was a bit of an overreaction to be so frightened of her, but she _is _rather off putting. If I knew nothing else about her, I'd think she's just a young childish wannabe scholar in training from her looks alone.

"Eheheh, you're quite odd, Zeke." I chuckle alongside her light tittering, a comfortable silence imbued in the salty air that surrounds us. It's rather comforting, actually, soothing on the mind and soul. She's a surprisingly nice outlet for all this mess.

"...How do you know I'm an amnesiac? Did I tell you?"

"Maybe you did, maybe you didn't.."

"Right, I don't think I want to know."

"Now you're getting it Zekey~ Also, what's up with you?" The concerned shiver that runs down my spine turns into a confused jolt, raising an eyebrow to her.

"I think I've already talked about that, Lucy, what do you mean?" She huffs and flails her arms around animatedly, a pout on her face.

"No no, not that you dummy! The whole _magicy_ stuff that's around ya, it's kinda weird." She irritatedly details, her face crumpled into a grumpy look as she rests her flailing hands. I blink, once, twice, feeling the cogs in my mind twist and turn as I only _just _understand that question.

"Wat." How did she notice? Did she see me use magic or some shit?

"Do you not notice it? I'm a lil sensitive to magic stuff, but I can still feel it from you." She explains again, a curious look on her face as she hums, squinting her eyes to look over me. That explains very little, it also sounds like bullshit.

"Hold up, you can _feel _magic from me?" I'm not buying that, it seems stupid as hell. Then again, you can smell _slaves _from half a town away Zeke, at least being able to detect magic has applicable uses over just being fucking _weird_.

Hey, it helped me find Mabel right? There's some merit in that right? Mabel's important.

"Hey, Zekey, you listening?" A voice and the clicking of fingers in front of me yank me from the internal discussion in my mind, blinking and shaking my head clear. Shit, did I zone out for that long?

"Sorry, lost in my thoughts again, what did you say?" I say awkwardly, rubbing at the back of my neck while the girl huffs, looking down on me. Well, not physically, she has to look up to look me in the face. It's kind of cute.

"Yeesh, I'm not _that _boring. It's something that some mages can do, being able to detect magic that's in use or the magical capability of some people. Unless it's masked _super _well, stronger magic are generally more noticeable."

"...Huh, I think I understand some of this."

"You're not _that _dull Zekey."

"On the contrary, miss Lucy. How long have you been able to feel, ugh, _magic _coming from me?" I fail to properly bite back the small vehement bile from my throat, fucking magic, just more thing that's wrong with me. God dammit. Less hate more time paying attention though, Zeke

"Well, I kinda felt it when I met ya at the warehouse, I didn't _really _have the chance to confirm my suspicion until now though. When'd that start to be a thing anyways? I didn't feel it from you when we first met, and magic potential doesn't normally just _appear_." She asks curiously, her head tilted to the side as she restarts her dangling kicks. I tsk and click my tongue, mulling the thoughts in my mind over in my mind, I gotta think of what words to say and what to leave out, don't want her to think I'm more mad than I already present myself to be.

"Well, I didn't have any feeling for magic before coming here. I only figured out that magic affected me differently when I was zapped by Alex, the Templar I was fighting, resistant to magic my ass. So yeah, I think it was after that, maybe being stuck in the Templar tower for a night could've done something too? I dunno, maybe being so close to so much left over magical energy from the mana mines and the mana storage did something else to me, I sure as fuck had a headache for the night I was there." Lucy cups her chin with a hand, nodding and humming all the while, a curious yet delighted look held within her eyes.

"So you can use magic now cause of that?"

"Lucy, I'm kind of spitballing potential ideas, I have no fucking clue how the hell I can just _use magic_.

"Well, it's pretty cool!"

"What? That's it? Pretty cool? Aren't basitins meant to be completely unable to use magic, it's unnatural right?"

"Eeehhhhh, I dunno much about how basitins work beyond your blood, not like _that's_ a good example to begin with. Buuuuuuut, I have heard rumours about some Templar basitins!" My ears twitch as she giggles, a small smug smile on her face. Do you think it's a good idea to ignore the 'beyond your blood' part, Zeke?

"Rumours? What type of rumours?" More or less to be truthful, I've kind of accepted her eccentricity, and if she knows about more basitins who're in the same position as myself then I'd like to know. She tittlers again, a hand daintily raised to cover her mouth.

"Ohohoh, do I have your interest, Zekey~?" I huff as she continues her smuggish giggling, the corners of her mouth curled up in a smile visible past her hand. She wants something Zeke, what does she want?

"What do you want from me, Lucy? You know I want to know anything I can, if it at all relates to helping me in some way." She drops her hand, revealing her ever widening smirk as she rises to her feet, lightly skipping her way to me, bending over ever so slightly.

"I want you..~" She trails off, looking into my eyes as she rests a hand on my cheek, fingertips ever so slightly pressing into my furred face. I blink once, then twice, looking up to her with half lidded eyes and pursed lips, I hope she understands the flat expression on my face.

"You want me, to..?" I trail off the question as I raise an eyebrow, returning her stare with a glare of my own. She's silent for a few moments, the mask of hers cracking before she huffidly sighs, a pout on her face as she crosses her arms. At least she steps away from me

"Aw, phooey, you aint fun to tease. Basically, I wantcha to be my apprentice, along with a guinea pig but that's neither here nor there." She explains, my eyebrow raising further as she takes a seat.

"Apprentice? You want me to learn magic with _you_?" I don't mean to sound so full of disbelief, it only clicks with me how bad that sounds when an almost insulted look forms on her face, her pout only deepening.

"Hey, I'm not _that _bad of a teacher, meanie, I won't tell ya anything then." She says with a huff, turning her nose up and away from me. I sigh to myself and rub at my temple, fucking, weirdo.

"Okay, that's not what I meant. I didn't mean to insult you, I'm just surprised by the offer is all, and confused."

"Well, you are an interesting specimen Zekey, and it'd be nice to write down in my notes!" Her eyes light up with a curious light, a bright smile beaming on her face as she looks to me, tapping her fingers on the stone. Ah, she's a scholar right? Despite her off putting nature, she's probably _jumping _at the chance to take someone under her wing for anything, let alone magic. Despite how dangerous it could be to keep using magic, there's a feeling of excitement in my chest, a light twitch of my lip. Right, what's the worst that could happen? Despite the whole mental degradation thing, that's not at _all _important, right Zeke?

"Ah fuck it, sure." I throw my hands in the air as I succumb to the desire, this is gonna bite my ass super fucking hard, I can feel it. Lucy squeals with excitement, quickly subduing it with a cough, though her strange smile still shines bright on her face. You know, I never noticed how much she sticks out from the darkness that surrounds us, it's almost funny to look at.

"Great, yes! Ya made a good choice fuzzy, when'd you last use magic anyways? If you're super new to it, it could take a lot outta you." She continues to excitedly tap against the stone as she leans in, she's almost restless.

"Well, I used it… mid morning I think? I feel okay actually, hell, it felt _good _when I used it."

"Good? Whatcha mean by that?" She implores with a head tilt, shuffling ever so slightly closer. I bite at the inside of my cheek, scratching at my chin. Fuck, how did it feel again?

"It felt… weird, honestly, weird and unnatural. Like something was tingling and wiggling around inside my skull. Shit, how do I explain this without sounding like a nutcase? It felt like something inside begging for release, begging to be let out, so I just did it. It didn't kill them, at least I hope not, but I wanted them to fuck off, so it pusehd them away." My throat closes up as I finish myself off, coughing to try to force it clear. Fuck, that felt so awkward to say, how does that make me _seem_.

"Mhm mhm, that's strange but interesting…" She trails off, humming and cupping her hand in a hand.

"...do you have any idea what that means? Is that normal for people? Or is it different for whoever uses magic?"

"Nope! Never heard of it before, but magic is an interesting thing after all, so much to learn and see and do! Anyways, other than the weird feeling of using it, it kinda sounds like you forced your magic to work out of need rather than want. It shows that you _can _use it when pushed to do so, but it might need a bit more training to manipulate it." She explains, her voice taking a strange almost teacher sounding tone as she does so. She's taking the student thing rather seriously, thank the heavens for it. That begs a question though, one that I don't recall being answered by that book…

"What is magic anyways? How does it work? Where does it come from? I know it comes from crystals that's embedded within the earth, but how is it _formed_?" I try to keep a level tone as I question her, but the glee in my cold chest ignites again. Fucking _magic!_ Genuine magic, things like fireballs and lightning, it's so fucking cool! It also could have and probably will kill you Zeke, pay attention to the girl. She clears her throat, raising her head high with a proud smile on her face as she stands.

"Magic is the manipulation of mana to perform a feat that would be normally inhumanly possible, things like fireballs and stuff. Each person has a different capability of manipulating magic, they can be better at it through training, but some are just naturally stronger than others. For humans it's mostly templars that can draw from the towers that you see here, keidrans need to rely on crystals that contain pure mana. Granted, humans can use mana crystals, but magic is more oft used by Templars who're trained to do so. Mana crystals come from the earth beneath us, they're a natural grown kinda thing, I forgot how they're created exactly. Higher quality mana crystals last longer and are typically stronger, lower quality ones crack preeeeeetty easily. They can kinda recharge after they're used, but it's not quite the same." She speaks clearly and just a pitch below loud, such a long winded explanation for magic, but it's better than a vague mess that leaves me with more questions than answers. I stare at the small… teacher I guess is the right word for her, for now anyways, she's certainly carrying herself like one, her back straight as she leans back and forth. It's almost like she's trying to stop herself from pacing off of the wall, that'd be awkward. Also funny.

"Hm, I see. I can kind of understand that, it still seems so _strange_, bloody magic. What of basitins then? Why can't they use magic?" I sit cross legged as I look up to her, the girl humming and putting a finger on her lips as she smirks.

"An awfully convenient question Zekey! I was just boutta get into that, it has something to do with the juuuicy gossip I've heard about." She beckons me forward with a hand, her smirk widening as I lean into her, her hand softly cupping behind my ear with soft breaths.

"_Any _basitin can use magic, Zekey, Templars have been teaching em." She whispers softly into my ear before pulling away, clasping her hands behind her back with a giggle, whether it's from the feeling of my face morphing into a confused expression or if she finds the situation funny in some way, I can't tell.

"Course, that's not _everything_ I know, but a lady's gotta have her secrets~" She says in a coy tone, smug smirk still on her face.

"...wait, what? When the fuck did this become a thing? Aren't their brains still fucked from using it?" I hiss back to her, the cogs in my brain finally clicking in place. I swear I recall Anna saying something along those lines once upon a time, it feels so long ago.

"Yep! Something bout their heads can't process magic very well, the length on how long it takes to happen from basitin to basitin, but the end result is _always _permanent mental damage. I dunno why that is, but that's why it's so interesting!" The way she sounds almost cheerey as she says it rubs me the wrong way, a frown forming in my face as I look up to her. This fucker!

"And you _knew _of this, is that why you want to teach me magic? Despite the fact that it _will _fuck me over?" I almost growl, the hair on the back of my neck bristling as I furrow my brows. The girl shrugs nonchalantly, a faux innocent smile on her face.

"Yeah, duh. I'm a scholar, I like to research things, do you know how many basitins I can use to learn? Zero! Sure the Templars mighta jotted some stuff down, but it's not like they're gonna cough up their dirty little secrets, it's funner this way too. I _did _say I was gonna use you as a guinea pig, it's just a part of the deal." She's so fucking calm about this, both in tune but disconnected from the conversation, what the fuck is up with her?

You heard her Zeke, she wants to _use _you as a fucking lab rat until you're braindead, what happens after that huh? She's nothing but trouble, lets get the fuck away from her!

…But, what if? What if there's some way to work around that mental degeneration? Perhaps basitins can't mentally comprehend magic due to their upbringing and race? We might be physically basitins, but we're so fucking far removed from them that we're more or less foreigners.

Who the fuck do you think you are? Do you think you're some special bastard? You might've been human once upon a time, but you're sure as fuck not one right now are you? You're not going to be immune because you _wish _it to be, you're arguably more mentally fragile than the rest of them, you know that. You even suggested that it might be slow, thorough and absolute, those are your very words.

But it's _magic_, magic's so fucking cool! And if it's _solely_ from doing magic, then we might be able to work around it, it's not as if we'll be constantly doing it anyways. And it could help us learn more too.

Are you listening to yourself? You want to risk potential complete brain decay from using magic and banking on the _possibility _that not abusing it constantly _might _put us in the clear? What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you think Lucy here is trying to do this out of the kindness of her heart? We're a lab rat blood container to her, nothing more and nothing less.

"..You know, you really don't have to do this." Her voice pulls me from my conflicting thoughts, blinking them away as I look up to her again. The smirk from her face since wiped away and replaced with a cold grave expression, her blank eyes blinking slowly

"Huh?"

"Listen, Zeke. I know I'm not the most… approachable person here, I don't mean to seem so cold and aloof with the dangers that would probably arise from it all. I'm fully aware that it looks like I'm just using you, and I am honestly, but I don't want to _hurt _hurt you despite it. Hands on research is the best way to handle things, and I know it from experience. I know it's a lot to ask of you, and ya shouldn't feel bad for declining it. Please feel free to, I won't blame ya." She ends her sombre explanation with a small soft smile, though it feels hollow to look at with her otherwise grim tone. I sigh and rub at my temple, squeezing my eyes shut, only cracking it slightly to look back up to her.

Please don't tell me you're seriously considering it now, just because she's being open about it doesn't mean that she's going to not use you. Her ideas and plans are laid clear to us, and we should back away dammit. Just because someone tells us that they don't want to hurt us by shivving us with a knife doesn't mean that it's going to magically not hurt.

Maybe we can come to an understanding, then? I'm talking to you, to me, that means we're already aware of ourselves right? We're still ourselves, that means we can look after eachother! Er, ourselves, same thing kind of. My head hurts from trying to think of how to say that, shit. Let's try to be more aware of how we think then, and if it starts to affect us too much we'll stop.

This is stupid, _you're _stupid, but I can't physically stop you from leaping off of a damned cliff now can I? I'll smuggly tell you that I'm right before we turn into a vegetable at least.

So, do we have an agreement then?

Tsk, what do you think?

I smile grimly and release the hold on my head, sending a determined nod towards the still surprisingly unsmiling scholar.

"We have a deal, miss Lucy." I finally answer her with a resolute tone, reaching my hand out to her. She doesn't react, not immediately anyways, her blank eyes continuing to slowly blink. It seems to finally hit her, those flat eyes lighting up with a flash of glee as she smiles wide, taking my hand with both of hers. They feel so small, so gentle and fragile as they wrap around my hand, yanking it up and down.

"Yes yes! Thank ya Zekey, I promise I ya won't regret it!" She almost _squeaks _with how gleefully she shouts, shuffling excitedly on the wall. I roll my eyes, my lips twitching upwards as I curl my hand around one of hers, the yanking swiftly dying down into a more regular handshake before she pulls away. Her eyes almost twinkle as she stares at me, a smile still printed on her face, it's kind of creepy.

You have no idea what you're doing, but I won't stop you, I just hope it doesn't bite us in the ass later on from this weirdo.

"So, uh, where do we go from here Lucy?" I ask the girl, scratching at the back of my head awkwardly, the question seems to pull her out of her strange staring.

"Oh right! Now, stronger and larger mana crystals allow the caster to, ya know, _cast _stronger spells because it can handle it better. Sure crystals can be left to recharge,and when I say 'its not the same', I mean that they're extremely unstable in comparison to beforehand. I also worry that they're gunna explode when I use em, so I try not to. Now, you have seen mana crystals before right? Ya know what they look like?"

"Yeah, I've seen some keidrans use magic after all, and I've seen them lying around. They're just blue gems, aren't they?"

"Yep yep! That's more or less what they are, you can kinda judge the strength of a crystal from its looks. If it's tiny and fragile looking, it isn't gunna last long. Can you show me the crystal you used?" She asks excitedly, a head tilt complementing the curious smil. I blink and smile awkwardly, rubbing at the back of my neck again. Fuck, how do I explain this?

"I, uh, kind of didn't use one?" The answer sounds more like a question coming from my mouth, lips pursed as I shrug. She raises an eyebrow and hums, resting her chin in a hand as she squints over me.

You know, you could've just lied Zeke, it's not hard to do so. Probably would've avoided this awkward looking situation.

"Hm, how very strange…" She trails off and hums once more, her fingers tapping against her cheek.

"...Maybe I kind of sapped the excess magic from the Templar tower, which let me use it as a one off?" I suggest with another shrug, it's a possible asspull. Then again, maybe you were connected to a tower when you were a Templar yourself? It's possible.

"I dunno, maybe? Your type of magic seems to be resting very latently, basically dormant currently, it's rather strange. Still interesting, but I can't imagine that you'd be able to muster up the magic to do anything much with it, correct?"

"I guess so, there's nothing indicating that I can, no weird magic wiggling in my brain. Do you, uh, have a crystal yourself? I assume you wanted to ask me for it so I could try to do something magical."

"Kinda, I really just wanted to see the quality of the gem you used, buuuuut getting you to put it into action was a part of the plan." She reaches around and fondles with a hipsack latched onto her sides, rummaging through it lazily with a hand. When'd that get there? Did I just gloss over it in a daze? She hums to herself while she purses her lips, letting out a triumphant sound as she pulls a small glowing gem. It hums and pulsates in an oddly enticing way, my stare lingering on the thing. It's a shiny blue crystal that'd fit nicely in the palm of my hand, it doesn't take my attention away as much as the ones that Gerome grabbed from Valerie, though.

"..Should I be careful with it? How do I know if too much energy is, you know, too much?" I ask her, apprehension in my voice as I push myself on two feet, curling my stiff fingers to bash away the cold.

"Zekey, if you manage to blow up a _fresh _mana crystal that's of kinda good quality, I'd be impressed. Simply put, it doesn't exactly feel like you can muster the power to do it, go oooooon and take it already!" She rolls her eyes as she excitedly pushes on, dangling the thing between her finger tips. I reach over and lightly pinch it out of her grasp, stepping away from her and rolling it between the palm of my hands. Even through my gloves, I can feel a tingling sense of what feels like electricity pulsing through it, small warm shocks tingling at my skin. It feels odd, but a sense of fascination runs through my brain, my lips twitching upwards as I clench it in a palm. Fucking _magic!_

"So, what should I be doing?" I question my now apparent mentor as I look up to her, an oddly mirthful expression on her face replaced with a more serious one.

"Well, you feel it right? The pulse of energy inside it? That's the mana held in the crystal, and using it is just molding that energy to your bidding. You said you pushed some men over last time you used it right? Why don't you try to use magic to push my pouch over?" She unties the sack at her side and places it where I was once seated, hopping off of the wall and skipping to my side, a decent breadth of distance between us at least.

"Doesn't matter what type of magic you use, just don't like, blow it _are _things I like in there." She warns, giggling cheeky afterwards as she leans against a nearby barrel. Right, here we go. Any ideas on how to use this thing?

Why are you asking me? We're each other, we can't know anything the other doesn't.

I'm open for possible theories is all, it's not like Lucy here's told us how to 'mold the energy to do our bidding'.

We could ask her, but where's the fun in that right?

I chuckle underneath my breath, I make me laugh, focusing on the crystal in hand as I close my eyes. Mold the energy right? There's a decent bit of 'energy' in this thing, I feel it swirling around my hand and body, my head tingling with the sensation. It feels cold, but oh so welcoming, the way I can feel it running across my skin even underneath my cloak. We gotta push the pouch over right? I can't imagine that it'd be nice to go searching for the thing. I slowly open my eyes, a small tinge of blue lathered over my vision, I hold the crystal close to my chest and reach out with the other, a relaxed surge of blue crossing over my arm.

"Push." I demand simply with a furrowed brow, the glow of blue in my vision flaring up with the command. There's a flash of very light blue that thwaps itself against the pouch, the cloth shaping around the attack before being shoved off of the wall, the dull thud from it fading into the night.

"There ya go! Coulda done with less of the waiting, but ya got it decently well. How'd it feel Zekey?" Lucy asks me, subduing a small jolt of surprise and a yelp. Jesus christ, I forgot she was there. Too caught up with myself I guess.

"My apologies, can't exactly say I had any precise idea on what I was doing to be honest. And it felt… good I guess. Can't explain it much more than that really." I reply with a shrug, still clenching at the crystal in my hand, a bolt of excitement running through my veins. I just _willingly _used magic, holy shit. Sure I did it before, but that was in the rush of the moment, I used my conscious will to do that!

"Well, ya got it in the end didn't ya?" She replies with a childish grin, humming to herself again as she skips over to the wall, jumping up and over the thing and disappearing behind it. I'm surprised she made that jump, she is kinda small.

"Everything's in shape too, good goin Zekey." She congratulates with a grin as she rises into view, dangling the pouch in her hand again before latching it onto her hip once more. I roll my eyes, but I can't stop the lip twitching. I guess it's nice to be congratulated.

"Thank you, miss Lucy. Do you ah, want this back?" I hold out my hand to her, unclenching it and offering her crystal back. She hums, but shakes her head.

"Nah, I got a few of my own, think of that as a gift from little old me to you, a welcoming present for being my apprentice and all~" She rejects the offer with a smirk, clasping her hands together. I give her a nod and a smile, clenching my hand around it and bringing it back to me.

"Seems like you ain't too bad with wind, I dunno if I'm surprised or not. Do ya think you can use other types of elemental magic?" She huffs as she plants herself back onto the wall, I look down to the gem and hum to myself, rolling it between my fingertips.

"Hm, maybe? Do you have any ideas in mind?"

"Weeeeell, I did mention fireballs before, why don't you try igniting a flame in the air? It might take a bit outta ya, but it's useful." She offers, to which I nod back at her. Edward mentioned using fire to light up camps when he didn't have any flint right? It should be the same idea.

Alright Zeke, back to focusing, how does fire feel? It's hot and it burns, it sears the skin of those it touches, but it brings comfort to others when used correctly, right? I breathe a deep breath and swirl my fingers in the air, a swirl of ash following the tip of it.

The ash suddenly explodes into a glorious flame, it ignites the air and brightens the dark around us. I grin and let out a prideful cheer as I look towards Lucy.

She's not there, no one is. There's no sight or smell of any living being around here. I let out a confused noise as I twist and turn my head, looking around the area. There's no one here.

There's no sound of the oceans waves crashing against the docks, there's no salty smell of the sea to be found. There's only the crackling of the fireball in my hand, and the smell of ash in the air. I chuckle nervously and wave my hand away, trying to dispel the fire from my hand. It doesn't budge.

I try to throw it, I try to take the energy back into myself, I try to dispel it in any way I can, but it doesn't budge. It doesn't yield. I yelp as it forces itself into my hand, my heart beating faster and faster by the moment as leather melts, the stench of burning hair and skin invades my nose as my throat clenches and chokes, the fire quickly running itself up against my arms as my clogged throat stifles the screams.

I fall to my knees as I try to find solace against the cold stone, praying to _something _with gritted teeth, the burning sensation flows through my veins, a heavy pressure igniting in my chest. The stone scrapes through my pants as I try to gasp for air as the flames lick against my fur, smoke encompassing and throttling my vision, the screams of thedamnedfillsmyearbreakingthesilence_asthewagonsaretorched-_

"Zekey?" I scream and jump away from the noise, sweat dripping down my face as I breathe in shuddering breaths, my hands feel numb from the clenching. I throw my head to look around,everythings cold and calm again, I can hear the waves wash against the shore and the salt in the air.

What the fuck was that.

"Did ya zone out again? You've been doing that a fair bit." Lucy chirps up again, a dainty smile on her face as she kicks her legs against the wall. I steady my breaths and stand upright, unclenching my fists, they're so _numb_.

"I, sorry. What did you say again?" I try to keep a level voice as I soothe my thundering heart, my fingertips twitching. What the fuck just happened? Brain, can you answer that?

"Why dontcha try to use some fire? It ain't _that _hard after all, unless you try to put too much energy in it or something." I gulp down the frog in my throat as I bring my hand up, curling and uncurling my fingers. It feels slightly less numb.

"...I don't think I can miss Lucy, perhaps we can put it off for another day? It is rather late after all." I croak out the suggestion, at least I don't stumble over my words.

"Awh, fiiiiine, I _guess _it'll be okay. Get a lotta sleep though, okay?" She says with a faux pout, hopping off of the wall with a light grunt. She skips up to me and pats my arm softly, an equally soft smile on her face as she looks upwards. There's an awkward silence between us, her lips morphing into a slanted frown.

"That's your cue to say like, good night and stuff you dummy." She light heartedly chides, whapping my arm with a soft swing. I blink and recoil slightly, the touch sending a jolt through and up my arm.

"Ah sorry. Good night miss Lucy." I say awkwardly, she huffs again but nods softly. Seems that she's taken that at least.

"Good enough, see ya later Zekey~" She twists and skips off, humming a tune as she makes her way into the depths of the town again. I stand unblinkingly for a few moments before sighing, mashing my face into my hands as I groan aloud.

What the fuck was that? Was that real? Was that because of using magic? That can't be right, right?

How am I meant to know? I only know what you know, doofus.

Good load of help you are.

No need to get huffy, you little bastard, neither of us know what happened there. It felt so real, so terrifying, did our heart stop? We aren't actually burned are we?

I grumble to myself as I slip a hand free, running it over my arms, sliding them underneath my shirt and brushing over my chest. I rest it on my chest, just above my heart, a throbbing cold pulsating feeling answering that question.

We're fine, we're fine, physically anyways. Was that all a day dream? Just an awful daydream?

It's possible, but it's not like we've much to go on with it, let's just get back to Erics and sleep this off.

I hum to myself, nodding slowly, slipping the glove back on and shambling my way awkwardly up town. I can't stop the shivers running down my spine, nor my own hands from touching at my arms. Just another problem to add onto the pile I guess.

Speaking of problems, what about _our _specific problem huh? Can't say that it's a good thing that we're talking to ourselves like this.

Probably not, not much we can do about it though, right? I let out a long winded sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose, lets just focus on getting back to Erics. Maybe I should read a bit before heading to bed, yeah, that sounds like an okay idea.


	28. Chapter 28

A gentle nudging against my arm yanks me from the cold depths of sleep, groaning groggily as I twitch awake, rubbing at my eyes with my palms to wipe away the sleep. I sluggishly twist myself into a seating position, something solid slipping from my lap and thudding against the floor.

"I'm up I'm up, sgoing on?" I ponder aloud as my eyes flicker open, blurred vision quickly focusing as I look around. The dull light from the window shines into the dusty atmosphere in the room, books stacked atop each other nearby the chair I sit from. My bones crack as I stretch my arms, shaking my head and reinvigorating myself. Did I fall asleep while reading or something?

"Good morning mister Zeke!" An overly cheery voice chirps from beside me, turning to stare into the glowing blue orbs of Kathrin, her happy-go-lucky smile still imprinted on her bright face. Her eyes are filled with an innocent excitement, ever so slightly squinted from her smile as she tilts her head as she leans over me.

"Ick, morning Kathrin, didn't I tell you to drop the mister part? Just Zeke is fine." I slur to her, a tired wave washing over my body as I raise a hand to cover my yawn, 'tsk'ing and rubbing at my face again. Gods, I felt like I got a shitty sleep last night. Maybe I shouldn't have been reading so late into the night.

"Sorry m-Zeke, just habit is all." She replies happily as she pulls away from me, at least she cuts off the 'mister' part. I grumble to myself and lean over, picking up the dropped open paged book in front of me, closing it shut and rubbing a hand over the front cover. 'Keidran biology', huh? I guess I did want to read up on keidran things a little bit, just for Mabel. I shake my head again as I plant the book with the rest of them, not many in total, there's an odd fog over my mind and memory. What happened last night again?

_The leather melts, the stench of burning hair and skin _surges through my skull, letting out a pained groan as I clutch at my head, burying it in my hand.

"Zeke? Are you okay?" Kathrin asks in a worried tone, a hand squeezing at my shoulder with a whine. I wince and shake my head, the pain disappearing as quickly as it appeared thankfully.

"It's okay, I'm okay, it's just a headache is all. Sorry to worry you Kathrin." I lie to her, gritted teeth masked by a full grin. She sighs in relief, pulling her hand from my shoulder with a frown.

"If you say so, Zeke. Mister Edward asked me to wake you early is all, is there anything you need?" She asks once more, her normally friendly and heartfelt smile lowering to a more obedient one. The face of a slave, likely an expression on instinct itself.

"I'll be just fine, thank you for waking me though Kathrin. I don't wish to take up more of your time." I answer with a shake of my head, motioning with it towards the door. Her smile turns to a more genuine polite one, bowing ever so slightly and making her way to the door, tail swishing back and forth. It's so fucking fluffy, god dammit. The girl disappears behind the door as she shuts it, all alone again.

I let out a shuddering sigh as I slump back into the soft chair, halfheartedly dragging my hand down my face to stare at the ceiling. Thanks for reminding me oh so _effectively _right there, brain.

Any time, waste of space.

That reminds me, actually. I quickly brush my hands over myself, running them through my pockets, rummaging through them with haste. Where is it, where is it? I let out a small hum of triumph as my fingertips brush against it. I wrap my fingers around it and bring it up to the morning sun, the light reflecting off of the gem. I twist and turn it in the air for a few moments, just enjoying the sight of the thing, no worse for wear then when I last used it too, no difference in the energy that encompasses the thing. It's a present from Lucy, and magic is a pretty damned useful present, I wouldn't wanna lose it.

I shove the gem back into my pockets, grunting as I push myself onto two feet, wincing slightly and straightening my back, familiar and welcoming cracking noises fill my ears as I sigh breathlessly. Properly awake now, hopefully anyways. Alright, shit, what's the plan today? Gotta pay for Mabel, do some shopping, food and whatnot, turns out keidran don't really wear clothes so it's not a priority. I kneel down and heft the books from the floor, heaving them as I walk towards the bookshelves.

Right, now the boring part of trying to remember where I yanked these from, it's still early morning, so I got time to do this myself.

…

I wipe my hands together in accomplishment before shutting the door behind me, humming softly and tunelessly as I make my way to the room. I do feel somewhat nice for putting the books back myself, perhaps I could buy some books to read on the way back to Dartwood? Just ideas for later to be truthful.

"Finally up, I see." Edwards deadpan voice brings me out of my thoughts, eyes looking over to him. Stopped mid march, his tired eyes look up to mine as he sips at his cup, likely filled with tea. It feels like it's been a while since I've seen him in his full armour get-up, the light in the room almost flickers off of it.

"Good morning to you too, Eddy. We're leaving mid morning right?" I reply to his inexpressive comment with a smile of my own, digging my hands into my pockets. The man lets out a small grunt in reply, bringing his cup to his lips.

"Mhn, we're meeting up past the bridge, don't be late Fuzz." He tacks onto it, rolling his eyes as I wave my hand.

"I'll be there Ed, I pinky promise. Are you feeling alright yourself?" I quickly ask him, he raises an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm just fine. Why do you ask?"

"No real reason, I just wanted to check up on you is all."

"I'm not fragile by any means, don't worry about me. I best be off myself though, I'll see you later." He scoffs as he ends the conversation, though I still see his lips twitch upwards even past the cup. Heh, at least he knows I care. I give him a wave as he makes his way down the stairs, continuing my walk towards my room. Gotta get everything after all.

We know why we're worried about the man, don't we Zeke?

I sigh sadly to myself, almost glumly nodding my head. Who knows how long it'll be until we see the man again, there's nothing that could stop us from visiting at least, right?

You already know the answer to that question, you stubborn bastard.

I chuckle to myself as I approach Mabels room, twisting the knob and slowly pushing the door open and sticking my head inside. The room's silent and still, my bag still carelessly laid out against the wall nearest to the equally still bed, the only motion from it is the gentle rise and fall of it. I step into the room, slowly shutting the door behind me slightly, leaving a crack open as I step forth. The wood beneath my feet doesn't make a noise thankfully, stealthily approaching my bag and quickly grabbing it, tossing it over my shoulders. Got the back, it's got everything right? I hope it does, I can't be stuffed checking.

I hum with a smile on my face as I loom over the kid, leaning against the wall, something about her peaceful face is, well, peaceful obviously. Free of angst, free of anxiousness, just a perfectly content kid. She stirs in her sleep, murmuring with a frown on her face, a soft whimper slipping past trembling lips. I frown myself and rest a hand on her head, rubbing at it softly. Her disturbed stirring only escalates, her eyes squeezing shut tighter before slowly opening, a silent yawn coming from her maw.

"Morning kid, sorry for waking you, sleep well?" I ask the drowsy keidran as I pull my hand away from her. She slowly sits up, rubbing at her eyes groggily with a high pitched squeak. Her reply is a mumble of words, said too low for me to properly hear as she folds her hands atop each other, sitting up straight and looking up to me. She seems uncomfortable but she eventually nods, her lips pursed together as her eyes dart around the room, seems that she's just not wanting to look me in the eyes, at least for now. I bite the sigh and a frown that approaches on my face as I look down to her, gone is the calm and content childish face of hers when she's at peace, replaced with a cold wavering anxious one, akin to a kid that believes that they're soon to be scolded for a misdeed they don't know. A terribly sad sight for a kid, gotta keep a stiff upper lip at least.

"I'm glad you did, it might be awhile before you can sleep on something as comfy as that again. I didn't see you eat anything last night, are you hungry? I can grab you a nice big slab of meat from a market stall when I can, I got a few things I gotta do before we leave after all." I let her know of the plan, slipping in an offer for food into the mix. I gotta remember that other people need to eat after all, it feels like it's been a while since I've had something too, gotta fix that. A growl from Mabel answers the question better than any words can, a light hearted chortle slipping from my lips as she grips at her stomach, her face flushed a slight bit red as she nods again.

"Ahah, my apologies for laughing lil Mabel. I might take a bit to get back, but I _will _be back for you, I promise. Be good for Kathrin though at least, okay? She's a good lady." I give her a small wave before twisting away, marching my way back to the door, bag dangling off of my shoulder haphazardly. She'll be fine with Kathrin, right? And Eric would at least be ah, not perverse, not with a kid. He has his morals, as strange as they may be.

"Hey!" Her squeaky voice suddenly calls from the silence, catching me by surprise. I hum as I twist my head back to her, raising an eyebrow as my lips twitch into a half smile. She seems surprised herself, an almost mortified look on her face as she covers her lips with her hands.

"The lady doth speaketh! What do you need, little lass?" I reply jollily, resting a hand on my lip as I hold my smile. She squirms in her bed for a few moments, hands wringing together as she seems to muster the courage to speak up.

"Can you, uhm…" She trails off, but she raises her hands up to her head, resting them on top of it. "Do that again, please..?"

I blink, the cogs turning in my head. Is she asking for headpats? Is she asking for _affection_? Why does she seem so scared to ask for that? I blink the intrusive thoughts away as I give the girl a nod, moving back towards her. Less thought questions, more giving the kid what she wants.

"Of course lil lass, anytime you want it." I reply simply, fulfilling the simple but _important _request handily, resting my hand on top of her head and softly massaging her scalp. She sighs gently and closes her eyes, an equally gentle smile on her face as she ever so slightly pushes her head into my hand. She's basically a cat dammit, a bipedal cat is a cat nonetheless, it's so fucking adorable. A quiet purr emanates from her chest as my fingers trail past the head, pushing my fingers behind her ears and massaging there as well. The only noise in the room is her purring, slowly increasing in volume, matching the widening and content smile on her face. Now that just fucking melts our heart doesn't it? That's the face that a child should have, a happy one dammit.

I think it looks strange to be touching a kids head, non human or otherwise, I think we should be grateful that no one's looking. It'd be awkward.

I think you're a party pooper, she's so fucking _happy_, such a cute smile should be on the face of a kid constantly dammit. Kids deserve the chance to be happy, being in a different world doesn't change that. Shit, I'm talking to myself again.

"Are you feeling better Mabel?" I quickly ask her, gotta bring myself out of my own thoughts somehow. She seems slow to acknowledge the question, her eyelids gently flickering back open. She doesn't reply verbally, but she does nod, of which just rubs my hand into her head ever more so, a happy tittering filling the room. I bite back on the next question on the tip of my tongue, asking questions to pry into someone's past put us in the shitter with Edward for a bit, can't make that mistake again, least of all with her.

"I gotta go sadly, I'll be back later." I bring my hand away from her head, much to her immediate dismay, a whine coming from her trembling lips, the sound of it grips my heart and chest. She sobers up quickly though, stuffing the whine back down her throat, I feel like she's used to doing that.

"...Do you promise?" She asks as she looks up to me, her golden eyes piercing mine. Those pupils are so large, so dark, a wary hope floating behind them. A child's hope is one that I won't break.

"I keep my promises, Mabel." I assure her with a determined nod, giving her a quick ruffle of her hair. As much as that scuffs her already messy bed hair, it's a reply that she seems to take, nodding along with me. I wave my goodbyes yet again as I swing the door open, giving the girl another look and a smile before closing it behind me. She won't get into mischief.

I whistle a toneless rhythm as I walk down the steps, Eric and Kathrin seem to be absent from the lobby. I suppose they've their own things to do, Eric especially with his 'art', Kathrin's attached at the hip. The cold morning breeze runs over my face as I step out the door, taking in a deep breath alongside the salty taste as I look out to the sea. I think I had a plan today, something about Lucy? Eh, I'll wing it.

…

I wrap my knuckles on the door, idly awaiting a reply as I look up to the dingy sign, at least the little garden seems pleasant and new.

"Coooome in~!" Lucys light and shrill voice calls out from the depths of the house, a welcoming enough answer. I push the door open and step inside, my nose filled with the scent of books, ink, and… straw? I raise an eyebrow as I shut the door behind me, my feet marching silently as I make my way past the mess of her mixed home-cross-shop, poking my head in past a haphazardly placed bookshelf.

"Good morning to you, miss Lucy. How's the morning been treating you?" I strike up conversation as I lean against the shelf. There's the thudding sound of a couple of books thudding against the floor as Lucy broadly sweeps them off of the table, the same I was once laid upon, her head tilting.

"Oh? Didn't think ya'd be here so early Zekey. I've been okay, just lookin over some books, here I was thinkin that I had a customer! Whatcha lookin for so early?" She rests her head on the palm of her hand as she kicks her feet under the table, knocking _other _laid out books clear. Doesn't she have other tables? Why use this one specifically? Eh, it's not my problem.

"Apologies to disturb, uh, whatever you were doing. I just came to inform you that I'll be gone from Wreathwood for the next few days, returning to Dartwood to finish my mission with Gerome and whatnot. I'm not sure if you were aware of it, but the whole magic business just came at a bad time is all." I inform her after a quick clearing of my throat. She huffs and pouts, her fingers tapping against her cheek alongside it.

"Awh, you're leaving _already_? I was hopin we'd have more time, but thank ya for tellin me _before _disappearing. How long do you have left here then?" She seems disheartened by the news, but at least she sounds like she takes it in stride, I guess I'm gonna be coming back here when this jobs finished. Hm, the sly feeling poorly hidden beneath her eyes worries me somewhat though. What's she planning?

"Well, I've quite a few things to do before midday, but I have some spare time. Why do you ask, miss Lucy?" I ask her with a raised eyebrow, crossing my arms as I look down to her. We might have time, but I do want to finish everything up at least a while before we have to leave. Also food, gotta get Mabel food, big important stuff right there.

"Weeeell, do you wanna squeeze in some super magic training? Just to see how far you can push your magic to actually _hurt _things, your weird pushing ain't always gonna cut it." She offers with a coy smirk, fingers drumming against the desk in tandem with the ones against her face. Quick magic session, huh? That wouldn't hurt too much, right?

We run against the clock Zeke, time doesn't favour us for what you wish to do. Keep in mind that she eyes us like a lab rat, she's using this for her own research benefit after all. Do I really need to remind you of the risk of using magic again?

"Sure, I got time." I accept the offer with a wide grin as I approach the suddenly gleeful mini mage, a broad grin on her face as she hops up off of the chair she's slumped in, humming to herself as she waltzs into a corner, swinging open a cabinet and poking her head inside. She mumbles to herself softly, yanking herself out of it and slamming it shut.

"Wait here Zekey." She says quickly as she brushes past me, patting my shoulder and darting around the corner. I roll my eyes and take my place on a nearby chair, after taking the books off of the damn thing anyways. What a mess of a room, surgeon area, thing, who the fuck uses a medical room as a mini library?

Who the fuck ignores their own advice to stay safe and mostly _sane, _Zeke? Do you really have a place to talk? Sure it's awfully unhygienic potentially, but come _on_.

I roll my eyes and wave a hand away, leaning against the back of the chair leisurely, it's almost cushioned enough to be _comfortable_, nice! It's still interesting at least, is it not? True pursuit of knowledge can only move by leaps when risks are taken after all.

Edward was right, we are a fucking nerd aren't we? I feel like my thoughts and warnings aren't being appropriately heeded.

Edwards an ass, but he's a delightfully caring one for the most part. And maybe I'm being a little bit careless with it, but we'll know when we're being dangerously affected by it right? Speaking dangerous, isn't it dangerous to be speaking to oursel- myself like this?

Perhaps, but are you one to be complaining? Besides, there's always better places to speak to oneself over mere reality.

"Foooound it~!" Lucy's jovial cheer yanks me out of my thoughts, heads jolting up as she skips her way into the section of her home, dragging along a straw man, the wooden joint dragging against the ground with the occasional shrill screech. I guess that explains the smell of straw among the rest of the mess.

"Do you, ah, require help miss Lucy?" I tentatively ask the almost struggling lady, the faux man almost seems as tall as she does, it doesn't seem heavy to myself by any means, but she _is_ kind of small.

"Nope nope nope, I got this!" She assures with a huffed breath, shoving the things shaft onto a wooden stump, her hands raised as she circles around the unsteady object. She holds still for a few moments before letting out a triumphant noise, planting her hands on her hips.

"Told ya! Now, this is just gonna be a suuuuper quick test of magical strength, I dunno what the physical equivalent would be, smashing a straw man in the face I guess? Do you have the crystal I gave you on ya?" She drags the straw man into the middle of the room, turning to face me with that smug grin of hers. I stand up and rummage through a pocket, pulling out the stone and holding it up to view.

"I'm personally glad I didn't lose the thing, but why this activity in particular? Didn't you 'feel' my magic up last night?" I ask the scholar, twisting the gem between my fingers, the hairs on the back of my neck raising. I can _feel _the energy around the thing wrapping around my hand, mother fucking magic.

"Well, duh, but what I feel is your magical capacity isn't the same as what you can _use_, ya know? Just cause you have it in you right now doesn't mean you can access it willy nilly without proper training. Besides, it's not the size that matters, is it Zekey?" She ends the answer with a giggle and a wink, her smug grin still implanted on her face as she motions a hand towards the target. I… feel like I'm missing a joke here, at least at the end, is there a joke there?

Jesus christ, we'r- no, _you're _clueless. Just toss a magic ball at the straw fucker and call it a day.

I roll my eyes, putting the self negativity aside as I gather the magic from the stone around myself. There's no need for a ceremonious energy willing here, I take what at least feels like a small bit of energy from the stone and take a step forward, forcing it through the palm of my hand forwards. It sails through the air, bashing itself into the fake mans chest, tufts of the straw flying out from the impact as it shudders, but it remains true to form as it realigns itself. Lucy holds a finger to her lips as she examines the impact zone a little bit closer, humming as she bites her lip.

"Can you, uh, do that again by any chance? Just once more at least." She requests as she pulls away from the dummy. I shrug, I really don't feel like I should be wasting the magic in the stone, but I follow the request regardless. I repeat the same process, gather the magic in the rock and chuck it into the chest, putting a bit more force into the attack at least. It silently sings through the air and against it once more, the dummy more or less repeating the same motion as before. At least it's rattled a bit more.

"Hm, how strange…" Lucy mumbles to herself as she approaches the target again, poking at the thing with a finger. I awkwardly scratch at the back of my neck, changing from foot to foot to pass the nerves.

"Am I doing something wrong, miss Lucy?" I ask the teacher, biting back a small yelp as she quickly stomps towards me, grasping at my hand and pulling it up to her eye view. She drags my glove off of my hand and tosses it away, much to my _immediate _chagrin, that's my fucking glove! At least it lands on top of a book instead of on the floor, still annoying.

"Why do you do that thing with your hand?" She idly asks while she forces it to spread, it feels strange to have someone hold it like this, an awkward feeling encroaching in my throat.

"When I push out the magic? Are you meant to do it another way?" I answer her question with a question of my own, tilting my head as I look down to her. She raises her eyebrow as she looks up to _me_, thankfully dropping my hand at least.

"You are a strange strange being Zekey. The way you use magic is crude at best and completely wild at worst. Even though it's immediate strength is okay, almost above average from what I know, it's almost wasted with a lack of refinement in actually putting it to use in a better manner, that's putting it simply for ya." She declares with a lecturing tone and crossed arms, a small tinge of amusement behind her otherwise stony eyes. I huff and awkwardly scratch at the back of my neck, looking away from her.

"I suppose that's one way to shoot my pride in the foot, miss Lucy. What do you suggest then?" I ask her again. She hums to herself as she circles around me, finger tapping against her chin.

"Well, I'd say that a lotta practise to mold it would be a fantastic idea, but you don't exactly have that option do you?" She replies with a hint of snark, though it's mostly in a joking tone. I sigh to myself and nod, that's not exactly a high point of mine is it? Brain does have it right, this _will _kill me if I use it too much, at least that counts as 'heeding' it's advice.

"...Hey, why don't you do that again? Just, closer, a looooooot closer, like you're gonna punch it in the face." She suddenly suggests, a curious look in her eye.

"Uh, sure, I guess." I dully reply to her with a shrug. Despite that, she gleefully nods, happily stepping away from myself.

"Good boy! Now, do ya think!" She cheers on, almost feels like it's good humoured and genuine and almost sarcastic. I roll my eyes and step past her, lips twitching upwards into a soft smile. I stand in front of the magic training dummy, gripping at the stone in hand. It feels more natural to be close to an opponent, that's what I should consider this straw bastard right? Basically an opponent with no face. Okay, focus.

I roll my shoulders and focus the magic once more, I can feel it trail from my hand up my arm, washing across my shoulders and into my focused hand. It feels cleaner, it feels more _natural_, a sense of something familiar swirling in my chest as my hand connects with the straw target.

There's a strange noise, a mix of a bang and the rush of the wind as the straw man fucking _disappears, _my hand passing through the now clear space in front of me. I blink, slowly, looking up to see the falling strands of the straw slowly floating down from the ceiling. My nose crinkles as a strand lands upon it, brushing it off with a hand. The straw coats the room like a pale yellow paint, my eyes looking over the absolute disaster area while I rub at the back of my neck, twisting to face the little teacher, her face stock still.

"Uh… Whoops?" I halfheartedly apologise unhelpfully, wincing a little as I look over the rest of the room, slipping the stone into a pocket. Fuck, this is a mess.

"I'm super sorry Lucy, I'll ah, I'll clean it up! Or, I'll try to, I _really _didn't think that'd happe-" The rest of my splurging is cut off with a soft snicker, almost inaudible underneath her breath, the snickering turns to a chuckle, which turns into full blown laughter, filled with the occasional snort as she catches her breath for air. I stand still, like a deer in the headlights as she has her, uh, little laughing fit.

Do you think she's finally lost her mind? She seems to be on the off side of sane after all.

I'm not entirely sure to be truthful, she's uh, definitely enjoying herself there. Maybe she found the situation funny. I step from foot to foot anxiously and brush the other bits of straw off of myself, as best as I can anyways, her laughter eventually dying down. Her face is flushed, a stark difference from her usually pale skin.

"Ah that was fuckin hilarious, kinda pissed that I have to clean it up, but that was _amazing_." She finally speaks, clapping her hands together in amusement as she leans back and forth on the chair. I'm a little taken aback from the reaction, but she doesn't seem angry at least. I respond to what I guess is the audience now, giving the girl an overly theatrical bow.

"So, did you know that was gonna happen or...?" I trail the question off as I stand up straight, the girl hopping off of the chair, grabbing my discarded glove.

"Nope! But that's why I asked you to do it, I was wondering if something was gonna happen cause of it." She explains in kind as she offers my glove to me. I tentatively grab it from her hand, resisting the urge to just rip it out of her grasp because _holy fuck _I loathe my gloves being taken away from me apparently.

"So what was your theory then? Something something range?" I mutter to her, half sarcastically as I pull the glove back onto my hand, flexing my fingers inside it. Right where it needs to be, as it should be.

"Kinda, it kinda seemed like the further the spell went, the weaker it was cause it isn't exactly being used _effectively_, soooooooooooo, why not just do it point blank? Wasn't entirely sure that it'd work, but that's what practical research is for!"

"I uh, suppose that makes sense? I still have no idea what's going on, but I'll keep it in mind. Why do you think it's the way it is?"

"I dunno, you just use magic very strangely, might be cause your body ain't really sure on what it's meant to do, but you _will _it to work anyways? Again, practice makes perfect, but you don't have that luxury."

"Is there an issue with using magic so closely? No offence, but most people who use magic don't seem like they're exactly great at being in the front of the fight. With the exception of Templars of course."

"Well, the only 'issue' is that you're best off using it when you're in their face, but at that point, why not just use a sword? Or your fists in your case, I don't get the vibe that you wanna _kill_ people, and I've heard tales about those hands from Edward~" She smirks coyly as she looks up to me, clasping her hands behind her back as she does so. I groan and pinch the bridge of my nose, fucking Edward. Mental note to beat the shit outta him for this later, course he'd gossip about me to Lucy. I feel her grip at my shoulder, softly yanking at it.

"Now shoo! I gotta clean up your mess, I'll see ya next time Zekey!" She declares as she continues her fruitless dragging. I roll my eyes and go along with it, the girls small hands shoving at my back and pushing me out the door.

"I'll see you next time then, miss Lucy." I say my farewells as I turn my head to face her, giving a small smile and wave to go alongside it. She gives me a bright smile of her own, a dainty hand waving before she slams the door shut. I sigh to myself and grip at the crystal in my pocket, squeezing it lightly as I hurry myself away from the house, my bag digging into my shoulders.

I got places to be, I've made a promise after all.


	29. Chapter 29

Early morning rays leak into the clearing, the chirping and cawing of the birds fill my ears, the branches behind me thwipping back into place as I move towards the makeshift encampment. The scent of the forest is always welcoming, I don't exactly have time to dawdle though, I imagine that Valerie's around in her tend, right? I close in on the tents, eyes set on the more familiar one out of the bunch, disrupting clattering from a smaller tent pulling my attention away. A head pokes out of the tent, familiar blonde hair looking around before finally settling on me, a dopey but friendly smile on his face. Didn't think the giant would be up so early.

"Hey boss! You here for boss lady?" Claude asks as he brings himself into full few, body shining ever so slightly, lingering residue of what I assume to be water still clinging to his skin. I'm just thankful he has pants on, the shirt I can at least work past.

"Mhm, I made a promise to her that I intend to keep after all, is she available at the moment?" I respond in kind, the weight of the bag on my shoulders feel ever so heavier as my mind stews. I'm really gonna do this huh? Despite what I've told others and myself, it still feels strange, it feels wrong, but I've made my choice.

"Boss lady was up super late last night, so shes probly asleep still, she dun like being woken up in the morning." He says awkwardly, his feet shuffling as his eyes darts to the larger tent. So she's in there, huh? Probably hungover from last night, if the last moments that I saw her would be any indication. Lady loves her alcohol.

"Sadly I need her for Mabels contract, so I _kind _of need her awake." I trail off myself, motioning with a hand as I raise an eyebrow to the man. He blinks, I can imagine the cogs in his head turning, but he seems to get it, nodding quickly afterwards.

"Okay! I'll wake her up in a bit, boss lady likes her sleep after a loud night. Who's Mabel?" He answers, responding with a question of his own. Did he not know her name? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, she'd be scared of a giant like Claude, whether or not he's friendly in the end.

"The uh, small fox kid from before? Do you remember her?"

"Oh! The small fox girl. I remember her! Very quiet, very nice though."

"Did you spend much time with her?" I gently prod at the man, getting some insight on how she was treated here might… I dunno, put to rest some worries I have for the girl I guess? I'm not sure, but there's nothing wrong with some questions right?

"Nup, she didn talk much either, but she was cute! Is she okay?" He suddenly asks, worry filling his normally dulled eyes. My lips twitch upwards, but I subdue it swiftly, probably should've expected him to worry about her, I can't imagine a bad bone in his body. Friendly giant indeed.

"Aye, I've made sure she's okay, it warms my heart to see that you've worried for her though, you've my thanks Claude. Was she with you long?" He hums to himself, scratching at his chin with a hand. I give him time to think, stuffing my hands in my pockets, lightly fingering with the stone as I wait. Hey brain, do you think Claude could use magic? Something about imagining the hulking man fling spells despite being looking like he could crush bones on accident is hilarious, in a strange way

Claude? A man like him would likely lack the mental capacity for it, let alone the magical capacity , though I do admit it would be humorous to see it happen. Why are you asking yourself? I only know as much as you do, dumbass.

"She was with us for a lil bit, lady boss was very mad when the templars showed. It's been, uuuuhhhh, a week? I think? A weeks seven days, right?" He finally answers, scratching at the back of his head. A week? That's not nearly as long as I thought she'd be stuck here, hm...Does that mean it's been a week since I've turned Ashford in? No, there's always the chance that happened a while ago, and they've attempted to sell Mabel to him a week ago. Still, the thought of all that being so fresh to people burrows into my mind, it fills me with worry, what I'm worried _about _is beyond me. Right, fuck, I'm talking to someone.

"Ah, it's no worry Claude, thanks for answering. She had a warm bed to sleep in last night, and she'll soon have a nice bit of meat for breakfast, whenever I get the time anyways. How are you though, Claude?" I ask the man again, he seems genuinely surprised, taken aback by the question. Right, if he worked for me willingly or not, I probably didn't quite speak with him very much.

"Me? I'm okay boss man, i dunno what else to say." He replies bashfully, the apology makes my heart dip though. Asshole Zeke was an asshole, right.

"I assume that I didn't ask that too much then?"

"Nuh, boss was kinda cold. No offense boss." He quickly tacks on the last bit there hastily, his face one of embarrassment, his head tilting while I snicker.

"Heh, none taken claude. I'm sorry for whatever I did to you, is there a way for me to help you by any chance?" I offer him, trying to at least sound sincere. If there's anything I can do...

"Uh, im okay boss, but thank you!" He finally says after a few moments, a bright grin on his face. He was surprised, either that or he just had to process the question itself, both equally possible.

"If you say so. What are your plans for today Claude, if I may ask?" I ask again, trying to strike up conversation, part to pass time and part to learn more about the man. Never seen a man who could pass as a brigand but also come off as a man who'd never hurt a fly, at least in any of the memories that I have left in my skull.

"Uhh, well, lady boss might need some help making moneys? I'm not good with planning stuff, so that's her job, but I help her with what she needs!"

"Ah, right, she did lose her ship didn't she? Did she ever bring up how much money she _needs_?" A ship and a crew could be useful, even if I'm not exactly the captain.

"I dunno, if she did, then she didn't say it to me. But thats okay." Something about the way he says that fills me with.. Something, I'm not sure what exactly, a mix of sympathy and respect in my chest as I look up to the man. He keeps that smile on his face despite the fact that he probably knows his, well, mental ineptitude, the will to do that is admirable

If only we could do the same for ourselves.

I hum to myself and look to the sky, the morning sun barely gleaming from above the edges of the canopy. I still have time, but the creep of it tugs at my heart.

"Sorry to cut this short, but I really do need to be elsewhere, whether or not Valerie appreciates it. Do you want me to wake her up instead? I'll take the fall for you." I cut into the conversation, cutting to the chase hastily. Claude hums to himself, scratching at the back of his head in thought, slowly shaking his head.

"Naw, it's okay boss, I can do it. I think it'll be okay anyway, follow me." I give the man a nod and follow him at arms length, the towering man taking point in approaching Valeries tent, pushing the flap away tentatively

"Lady boss? Other boss's here for ya." We collectively wince as a clattering noise rings from the tent.

"Fucking what? He's here _right now_? Fucking, ich, tell him come on in then." Despite the groggy aggressive tone of her voice, the lady very likely caught off guard, Claude turns around and gives me a wide grin and a thumbs up.

"There ya go! I wanna do some other stuff, good luck boss." He clasps a hand on my shoulder and gives me a friendly squeeze, of which feels tighter any other grip I've been encased in, it's _almost _painful. I give him a tentative warm smile of my own, patting him on the shoulder as I pass into the room.

The rooms mostly the same as yesterday, an awkward feeling creeping in my chest as I pass Mabels, well, ex crate. They didn't clean that up, that's awkward indeed. I look up to Valerie, the lady groaning as she rubs a hand over her face and the other through her greasy mess of a hair, lips smacking together as she blinks rapidly. The empty bottles that litter atop the desk and the sides of it is telling enough.

"Feeling hungover, Valerie? Are you going to be alright?" I ask almost mockingly, my lips twitching upwards as she groans once more, a hand gripping her head.

"Shaddap, I'll be fine, just stop talking so loud. I didn't think you'd _actually _show up."

"I'm almost insulted, I keep to my promises, Miss Valerie."

"Sure you do, just sign the shit and get out." She says exasperatedly, groaning once more as she rummages through her desk, grumbling under her breath. I seat myself and lean on the desk, waiting for her to finish. She continues on for a few moments longer, tearing out a piece of paper and throwing it onto a table, as well as an ink pot and quill.

"There you go fucker, do you have my money?" She basically _demands_ bluntly, a deep frown on her face while she holds a cloth to her head, still grumbling angrily.

"Naturally." I respond in kind, rummaging through my bag and finding my gold pouch, sticking my hand in it and picking at the needed coins, holding them out in a hand to her. She greedily yoinks the pair from my hands, examining them with a keen eye.

"..Huh, I'm shocked that they're actually _real_, more to the stash then." She says with a sigh, tossing the coins into a separate drawer from before. I read over the document with a keen eye of my own. Full ownership of the provided keidran whose name may be changed at the masters discretion, from the signed person to another, a bundle of information that I can't keep a proper track of. Reading something and _understanding _something are two different things after all. The original 'owner' of Mabel is an overly formal and flowery signature, one that I can't properly read, what a pain in the ass. I fiddle with the quill, twisting the thing in a hand.

"Are you gonna sign it or what? I'm not gonna give you back your money, so hurry it." Valerie urges with an aggravated tone, eyebrows furrowing as she stares at me. I hum to myself, fiddling with the feather some more as I frown.

"...I don't know how to write with this thing." I admit sheepishly, rubbing at the back of my neck with my spare hand. There's an equally awkward silence in the room, the only audible noise being the ambience of the clearing itself. The noise of nature is always nice.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" She asks with a deadpan tone, eyes unblinking. I bite back my tongue and feel my face burn with her undeterred glaring, I refuse to answer that question. She sighs and rubs her face, a long stretched guttural groaning coming from her chest.

"I fucking hate you. Fuck you for showing up so early too."

"My apologies, Miss Valerie, I do need to leave Wreathwood mid morning, so I regretfully had to come so soon."

"And that's oh so convenient, I can see through you, you bastard." Her grumbling is at least amusing enough to make me chuckle, despite the death stare she gives me. "Fine, pull your chair over here and I'll give you a run down"

I twist the parchment, inkwell and quill over to her, carrying the chair to her side, plant it next to her and shuffling a bit closer. She sighs to herself and rubs at her face again, half lidded tired eyes lazily looking over the items, picking up the quill in a hand.

"You know what a quill is at least, right?" She asks monotonously, a half smirk on her face as she twirls it around in a hand dexterously.

"Obviously, I remember that much at least." I reply in a deadpan tone, my nose wrinkling as she flicks at it with a spare finger, the lady chuckling as I rub at the sore spot with a hand. Rather rude, to be honest.

"Don't sass your teacher, Zeke. A quill isn't too hard to use, but you have to be _light_ with it, unless you wanna snap the thing. First, dip the tip in the inkwell." She instructs, following her own instructions and dipping it into the miniature pot, the tip of the quill dripping a single drop back into the ink. It doesn't drip further, stained a deep black.

"Then, fuck I need a spare piece of paper for this shit, gimme a second." The lesson's abruptly halted as she rummages through _another _part of her desk, cursing under her breath, inevitably yanking out an old yellow stained piece of paper. "There we go, no ones gonna use this. _Lightly _press the tip against the paper, and then drag it across, it's really not that hard."

She shows a physical display of what to do, the tip of the quill bending slightly as she pushes it against the paper, but she flicks and flourishes the thing in a way that looks well practised, resting the tip against the rim of the pot as she shows off her signature, an italicized _Valerie _emblazoned onto the practise parchment.

"There, your turn now fuzzball." She demands shortly, planting the paper and shoving the rest of the equipment onto my side of the desk. I pinch my fingertips on the feather, dipping it into the inkwell as she showed before, letting it drip back into itself. There we go, that's the easy part, lets not break the thing trying to write.

My tongue sticks out of my mouth as I pull my full focus on the parchment, dragging the tip against the surface, lacking the flourish and dexterity, but I try my best to write something legible onto the thing. After a few seconds, I rest the feather against the rim and hold the piece of paper upwards, a bright grin on my face.

"So? How's it look?" I ask the lady cheerfully, trying to keep my voice at least a little low for her. She purses her lips together, lowly humming as she stares at the word, looking at me for a few seconds, then back to the paper.

"Writing isn't your strong point, stay away from it." She finally replies bluntly, leaning against the back of her chair. I give a faux pout as I twist the paper and look at it myself, a crude and shaky 'Z e k e' written onto it.

"It's not that bad! Sure, it's a little shaky, and the second E _kind of _blends into the K, but it's readable." I try to argue with her, looking back and forth with her and the paper before planting it down. She lets out a sigh, a long suffering sigh before burying her face into her hands.

"Just, sign the papers and fuck off please, don't ruin the paper either." She groans exasperatedly, not even having the heart to glare at me for chuckling at her. I shrug and bring the slave contract in front of me, dipping into the ink once more. I hesitate for a moment, looking up and down the thing, biting at my lip.

We've still reservations about owning another being, even if we've hyped us up to believe otherwise.

That's about right. I sigh to myself and softly dip the tip onto the signature line, the second I sign this is the second I _own _Mabel, loathe as I am to think of it. Is this the right move? I've sunk enough time into this that skimping out of it would just be a waste of time, but is that the right move? You know what? Fuck it.

I take in a deep breath, dragging the tip of the quill onto the paper for the first and final time, ink blots dripping onto the tips of the lettering, rigid and precise, at least as best as I can. I place the feather onto the inkwell once more as I finish off the word, pulling the parchment into the air.

"Huh, that isn't as bad as I feared, good job Zeke." Valerie actually _compliments _me for it, much to my surprise, her hand clasped on my shoulder with a squeeze. I give her a sober nod as my eyes bore into my signature.

_Zeke_, the basitin who owns Mabel.

"You've my thanks, Valerie. For trusting me, and helping me." I say to her with a dip of the head, rolling the paper and standing up, dragging the chair to its original spot.

"Hey, I liked the thought of a good payout of coins rather than the girl leeching off of us. Now scram fuzzball, I have things to do." She motions me out with a hand, kicking her feet onto the table. I bow lightly to her and roll the parchment up, gripping it lightly as I walk out of the tent.

"Hey boss! Is everything okay?" Claude pipes up as soon as I leave it, the man sitting crossed legged on the dirt, looking up to me with a wide smile.

"Everything's sorted, thank you for your time though Claude." I thank the man, following it up with a bow for him. He looks bashful, a soft smile on his face as he rubs at his arm.

"Aw, it's okay boss! Do you need anything else?" He asks jovially, genuinely. I hum and close my eyes, shaking my head soon after.

"No, I'd feel bad for asking more of you regardless. Have a good day, that goes for the both of you." I wave my goodbyes as I make way to move out of the clearing, Claude's own goodbye faintly falls on my ears, pressed against the back of my neck as I look down to the roll of paper. I hold a fierce glare at the thing, wishing I could bore a hole into it.

Zeke, the shitty basitin that owns Mabel. I'll do my best for her, I promise you that much Ashford.

...

I wrap my hands against the door and await for an answer, the knocking reverberating throughout the silence of the hall, fiddling with my fingers as I step from foot to foot. The Templars guarding the door to the tower were thankfully, although monotonously, understanding of my wishes to see the captain. It makes me wonder, did he say something about me to them? It's more likely that they've seen me with him around a fair bit lately, but it's still curious.

"Come in." His flat voice rings out from behind the wood, an almost annoyed invitation to enter the room. I push the door open, wincing as it creaks uncomfortably loud as I push myself into the room. Lucas raises an eyebrow, his remaining eye boreing into me as I shut the door behind me, stuffing my hands into my pockets to hide the fiddling. I'm not sure _why _I'm so nervous, but here I am.

"Nice to see you again captain." I say half sheepishly as I take a seat in front of him, leaning into the back of the chair with a shuddering sigh. At least the comfort of the chair however stiff it may be is comforting enough.

"Zeke, I recall saying that I didn't want to see you again so soon." He says bluntly as his eye looks back down onto a document, quill feverishly twitching with his hand movements. I grin awkwardly and rub at the back of my neck

"I know, I'm sorry about this captain, there's just... something on my mind that I feel a need to talk about." I explain to the man. He continues his writing, a focused look in his eye before sighing, rubbing at his face with a spare hand and shoving the paper aside, along with the quill.

"Well, spit it out then." Another mute and emotionless reply, eye still gazing into my own.

"Well, what's gonna happen to Alex?" His eyebrow raises, a curious look amidst his otherwise expressionless face.

"Out of all the things you could've asked of, Alex himself was not a question I foresaw. He broke his vow as a Templar to keep the peace and the law, he'll be thrown into the dungeon for a short while, along with the other one." He explains plainly and informatively. I hum to myself, tapping my fingers against myself.

"Is his punishment severe?" I tentatively ask, I recall asking Lucas if he could lighten the mans sentence in any way he can.

Still not sure why you'd bother, even if he manages to do it, looking out for someone who tried to _kill _you is something you seem to flip flop on, from Zen to the random keidran who led to you becoming a quiver for an arrow. Just seems a little inconsistent for us is all.

Shhh, he's opening his mouth.

"It's on the lighter side, I pulled enough strings to lessen his sentence. If you've come to ask me for _another _favour on his behalf then you can get out now, not even the masks could force me to deal with the shitshow that'd happen because of it." His voice is firm and gruff, eyebrow furrowed as his stare turns into a full throttled glare. I hold up my hands defensively, waving them around.

"No no, It's nothing like that! I was just wondering… are prisoners allowed visitors?"

"Explain yourself."

"Whatever reason he, well, the both of you have to loathe me is likely well deserved. I just wish to visit him at least once, to see if we can have a chat of some kind. Just the two of us."

"Do you truly think that you could convince the man to lighten his loathing of you in some way, Zeke?"

"Truthfully? No, not at all, a few words can't fix everything. I want to have the piece of mind to know that I've _tried_ at the very least. Even if he can't be convinced like you can, an attempt for a change is better than none at all." Silence fills the room as Lucas cups his head atop his hands, a deep rumbling in his chest as he hums. He closes his eye shut for a few moments, as if in deep thought. Which he may as well be. He remains silent for a while longer, before letting out a long suffering sigh, opening his eye with an almost low spirited stare.

"You're a strange man, Zeke, and that's putting it bluntly. I shall _allow _it, just this once, wait outside for me to finish this up and I'll show you his jail cell myself." He finally says, motioning with a hand against me. I subdue the small elated smile that nearly appears on my face and nod, standing up and shuffling my chair back to its original place. My ears twitch as I hear him continue his scrawling, exiting the room without hesitation and letting out a shuddering sigh, resting my back against the thick wooden door, rubbing at my face with my hands.

Fantastic, lets go see the dude that tried to kill us, I'm sure it'll go brilliantly.

…

The door slides open, wincing as my ears flatten against my neck, the screeching of metal on metal pounding against my ears.

"You have ten minutes in there, if I decide to drag you out for whatever reason, you _will_ comply. Do you understand?" The captain dictates, an unyielding look in his eye. I nod quickly and repeatedly, forcing myself into the room. He doesn't shut the door behind me thankfully, my ears still feel painful from the initial screeching.

The only source of light in the room is the dim rays of the sun pouring through the small window that's a decently high height in the room, bars lodged in between itself. As if a man could drag themselves that high, and the chains and bars that circumvent freedom wouldn't help the case. The room is bare, the only furniture present, if it could be called that anyways, is a wooden board laid sideways, lodged into the wall and hung by chains. He doesn't look up as my claws clack against the stony floor, shoulders slumped over with his wrists bound by chains, head shaved in something akin to a buzzcut as he stares into the dirty floor. I stop in front of him, staring at the seemingly despondent rag clad figure.

This is the guy that nearly killed us, huh? He's not much without his equipment, but be wary.

I'm sure it'll be fine, but I'll keep it in mind.

"So, uh, how've you been? It doesn't really look comfortable here." I say aloud, awkwardly breaking the ice, coughing as stiff as the delivery of the sentence. He doesn't respond, chest rising and falling with his breathing, I squat and look underneath his face, blank eyes continuing to stare into the floor.

Zeke, this is pointless, lets get out of here dammit.

No, not just yet. I shake my head and take in a deep breath, here we fucking go.

"I'll cut to the chase, I don't know why you hate me, but I don't hate you for hating me, if that makes sense anyways. I don't _think _it does but that's besides the point I wanna make. I want to change, whatever I've done to hurt you and anyone else is something that I want to correct dammit. I don't want to beg for forgiveness, I know I probably can't change your mind, I just want you to know that from the bottom of my heart that I'm _so _fucking sorry for whatever I've done. I'm gonna work on being a better person, and that's a promise I'll keep until my dying breath." I solemnly swear to the man as I finally finish myself, standing upright at the very end. Silence quickly reigns the room, sweat beading on my head as I look down to Alex's still form. I, uh, expected something from him, anger is at _least _an emotion of some kind, I didn't expect happiness or anything positive, but _something _is better than his… inexpressive deadness.

I bite my tone and sigh, rubbing a hand through my hair. Fuck, this was kind of a waste of time wasn't it? It totally was, god dammit. What'd get a rise outta the man anyhow? I think I know _something_.

Don't you fucking dare sugge-

"Hey, wanna slug me in the face? Free of cost, I'll keep my lip zipped about it to Lucas, and you can get some anger out. Hows that sound?" I give the man a desperate offer, I wanna get _something _out of the man at least. That does get a reaction from him, the twitch of his shoulders, followed by the raising of his head. I can't tell if he's staring _at _me or _through _me, but it's better than the lethargic lack of motion from before, right?

It's _not _better, you fucking mess of a man. Are you a fucking masochist or something? Why would you offer _that_?

Hey, it _was _a last ditch offer to get a rise outta him, I say it's working! If he's a man that's aggressive and volatile normally, then a nice hit to get the pressure out would do some good, right? There's a low rumbling noise from the man, catching me off guard for a moment. The rumbling sounds grows louder and louder, a wild looking glint in his eyes forming as he continues to stare, chuckling aloud through clenched teeth.

"You're a disgusting, _vile _stain, a blight upon Mekkan." He finally speaks up, his voice croaky from disuse, coarse like rocks upon my ears.

"I didn't hear a 'no' from that, but I didn't hear a yes either. I feel like you called me a variation of that before, I didn't realise you ran out of insults so quickly." I fire back mockingly with an equally mocking grin, crossing my arms as I stare down at the man. He growls and clenches his fists together, a fierce fire in his eyes, one of contempt.

You're actually mental, stop riling up the god prisoner and lets get the fuck out of here.

"I'll take it. Come closer." He replies simply, disdain filling his voice as he continues his glare. My smug grin softens and turns into a soft smile as I approach him, the man unsteadily rising to his feet. His hands shake as his clenching somehow intensifies, and without hesitation takes a step forward and swinging a fist of his into my face. There's a burst of pain as his fist connects with my cheek, a light grunt forcing its way out of my throat as I stumble backwards, my tongue rubbing over my teeth quickly. No taste of copper, no loose feeling teeth either. A dull pain throbs from my cheek as I rub over it with a hand, no long lasting pain, it might bruise though. I give a shake of my head as I look over to the man, an elated wide grin on his face as he clenches and unclenches his hand, sitting back down with his slouching.

"Do you feel a bit better, Alex?" I ask the man as I continue to massage at my cheek. The fire in his eyes are dimmer than before, but they still burn bright enough.

"I dunno, let me kick your ass and I might have a better answer." He retorts with an ever increasing grin, fingertips twitching as he looks up to me. I roll my eyes and let my arm hang limply by my side, the pain in my cheek seems mostly gone.

"That's the second and last free hit you'll get on me. When you get out of here, I'll give the time out of _my _day to kick your ass again, swords drawn. I might even go a bit easier on you if you _really _need it." I give him another offer, a mocking and teasing tone in my voice, one that he scoffs at.

"When? You mean _if_, bastard. Captains aint very happy bout it all." He says dejectedly, slumping back against the stone wall. That looks far from comfortable.

"No, that's a 'when'. Do we have a deal?"

"I want to wring my hands around your neck and mangle your throat, so of course it's a deal. I still _hate _you, and I'll never not hate you."

"Time's almost up, finish your shit and get out." Lucas's voice rings out from behind me, a jolt of surprise running through my body. Shit, I forgot we had a time limit, how long have we been in here anyways?

"I think that's it then, I wont be in town for a while, and I cant imagine youd want me to visit you. Good luck Alex, with whatever you do. I do hope you find peace with yourself." I say to him as I turn around, a tired wave washing over my body. Shit, it's only morning too, walking's gonna be a pain in the ass.

"Hey." Alex calls out to me, surprisingly. I hum to myself and twist my head, looking back at the smoldering wrathful man.

"Yeah? What's up?" He looks conflicted, an odd look on his face as he gazes over the room.

"..Do you hate keidrans, like most other Templars?" He asks. That, is not a question I expected him to ask, keidrans huh?

"I'm not exactly a Templar any more, can't follow a job if you don't remember it. And of course not, they're as alive as we are after all, I can't imagine hating them because they're not the same race." I answer the man, a surprised expression appears on his face. I guess he wasn't really expecting that answer.

"Zeke, hurry up and get out." Lucas calls out once more, interrupting the lingering ends of the conversation.

"Alright alright, I'm going. Good luck Alex." The door slides and screeches closed, a whine suppressed in my throat as I hold onto my ears. Fucking loud as shit doors, probably rusted and unkempt to all hell. Where's oil when you need it?

"Did you do what you need, Zeke?" Lucas asks me as he takes the lead, I follow close to his back, walking past the other equally unkempt and run down cells, at least they're empty.

"I'm not sure, but I hope it does something in the end." I answer, it's not a fantastic answer, but it's the only one I can give. I hear Lucas chuckle, my ears twitching at the noise.

"You're a strange one, Zeke. I was tempted to come in when you were punched, but you _did _ask for it."

"I'm well aware, and I'm glad you didn't. I'd like to imagine that I got more out of him in the end because of it."

"It's very likely, that much is true. He did always love a good brawl." The conversation ends soon after, his almost melancholic tone running over my ears as I tilt my head. Memories of the past, perhaps? The door to the outside squeaks open as sunlight fills the hall, wincing and covering my eyes as we step outside. Back into the salty smell of the port town, better than the stench of _whatever was down there_.

"Now Zeke, here's hoping that I don't have to deal with you again any time soon. I'll have your head if I do." He warns sternly, but there's an almost good natured joking tone mixed inbetween it. Regardless of what he means, I give him a stiff nod.

"Good, farewell Zeke." And with that, he marches toward the tower, likely to return to his office. Gotta love paperwork.

Gotta love being with someone who likes to throw himself into the metaphorical fire too, what sort of fucking thinking was that and why did it _kind of _work?

I chuckle and shrug, stuffing my hands in my pockets and making my way into town. A simple answer to that would be that, well, Alex was angry and headstrong, so he probably likes a good fight, when his head's in the right place anyways. A punch isn't quite the same, but its better than nothing. I hum to myself and look to the sky, hastening my pace.

Two more stops, then I'll pick up Mabel, then it's time to fuck off from here. The hard part's out of the way, nice and easy now.

**Authors note: Apologies for any grammar mistakes and differences in tone when it comes to scenes and whatnot, I'm currently very ill and it's not exactly going very smoothly, I did want to get a chapter out though. I'll likely be better soon. **


	30. Chapter 30

The sun continues its crawl in the sun as I walk through the streets, urged to push myself faster through the wave of the crowd. The sun isn't quite at its apex just yet, I think I have an hour or two left before midday, but I'm not gonna push my luck. I breath short apologies to the people I push past, nerves flaring up lightly as my head darts from in front of myself to the sky above, then back again.

'Calm down, you're gonna get yourself hurt in some way. Why are we so worried? We'll have time to spare so long as you're not sidetracked.'

Because we might be late! I don't wanna keep the group waiting, especially Mabel, she does need food, and I promised to get her some meat.

'We'll be fine, stop worrying so much about it, it'll only make the both of us feel worse. Just keep moving forward, dodge to your left by the way.'

I yelp and yank myself to my left side, narrowly avoiding a swinging cart, the wooden handle on the very edge of brushing just over my fur. I take a shuddering breath and mutter a quick sorry to the man shoving the thing, continuing on my path.

Fuck, that was kinda close. Thanks for that.

'We share pain, and you being thick headed doesn't apply to your literal skull. Just keep focus and keep walking.'

Yeah, yeah you're right. I shake my head and narrow my eyes, continuing the brisk hurried walk. Lets get all this done, shall we? I can faintly remember when the man was humming to myself as I passed a corner, this was close to the shop, the area here is definitely a memorable one to say the least. Not exactly a place I can forget easily, fucking magic. I shake my head and refocus myself, my heads been muddled with thoughts far too much lately, I make strides and pass the final corner, finally approaching the open store of the smithy. His side's turned to me as the fire from his forge rages fiercely, hands pressed down on the bellows, stoking the fire ever further. His shop doesn't look nearly as empty as it was when Edward and I visited, sure there's no one currently buying anything, but at least he has something to sell now.

"Ho there, Smithy!" I call out to the man as I approach. I can hear him let out a confused hum as he twists his head, his face morphing into a confused expression, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Eh? You're still here kid?" He questions as he rises from the bellows, wiping his head before crossing his arms, a hardy stare looking into my eyes.

"Aye sir, I figured that I should visit you at least once, if only just to check up on you." I reply to him swiftly, looking over his wares as I do so. It really is a stark difference from last time, can't exactly have a business with no products to sell I suppose.

"Mn, and why would ya do that kid? I can't imagine a keidran would check up on someone like myself outta the kindness of their heart. What's your deal?" He speaks lowly but clearly, his brows furrowing as he glares down at me. I purse my lips together, ears pressing down on my neck as I let out a heated huff, returning the mans glare with an irked stare of my own. What's my deal? What's this fuckers deal? Why's he being an asshole?

"What? One, I'm a basitin, I told you that before, there's a difference. Two, I earned myself a rip to the Templar Tower itself for getting zapped for trying to help you fix their fuck ups, so it's not like I won't go out of my way for someone. Even if they're a prick like you are, for whatever reason that may be." I bite back as I mimic the man, crossing my arms. The air between us is tense, the presence of the forge filling my nose with its burning ashen smell. The smithy lets out a low chuckle, his body relaxing slightly as the ghost of a grin appears on his face, an amused look in his eye.

"So ya can bite back, huh kid? Here I thought you were just an upstuck priss, maybe ya ain't that much of a push over." The tone he speaks in seems… I dunno, it's an almost proud voice, that amused glint still persisting. Hey, if it works then it works. I sigh a tensely, rubbing a hand over my face.

"Right then, you're welcome you fucker. That's all I came here for anyways, I wish you the best." I bid a curt farewell and turn from the man, retreating back into my thoughts. What else was next? Right, food for Mabel, and other things, I hope the last gold coin I have does the trick.

"Oi! I aint finished with ya just yet kid, c'mere for a sec." He calls from behind. I stop in my tracks and twist my head to look at him, a hand beckoning myself closer. Should we listen to him? He's a bit of a prick to say the least.

'I agree, though there's the chance he could be offering something, turning down payment for our services to him wouldn't help us, and it wouldn't be practical to do so. As loathe as I am to give him the chance, lets hear him out, be wary.'

I nod slightly and re-approach him, stopping just an arms length away from him.

"What is it, sir?" I ask him, sarcasm dripping off of my tongue as I look at him.

"Well, I ain't a man who'd let myself be in debt to another lad, human or otherwise. Ya friend didn't want jack shit thankfully, but I might as well offer you somethin, whatcha think you need from here kid? Nothin too expensive, I gotta make a profit somehow." He explains firmly, his eyes looking over his wares. I blink, processing the information. We're just being given the chance to take what we want? That's rather generous.

'I say it's a trap of some kind, or a bait.'

"Now why would you do that, sir? I can't imagine that's just simply out of the kindness of your heart, hm?" I ask him in return, a smug feeling grin forming on my face. The smugness is quickly dampened by the squint of the smithy's eyes, a frown on his face. Uh oh, too far?

"Listen here kid, I have my pride, your barking's still just that, barking from a dog. Don't test me, just look at what you need, ya ain't gonna get this chance again." He says with a mix of a sneer and a growl, gruffly snorting before turning to face his furnace, tending to it. I let loose a tense sigh, releasing the taut feeling building and clogging up in my throat. Definitely a bit far, shouldn't have pushed too much, better keep that in mind for when I choose my item too.

'I'm surprised he didn't take back the offer to begin with, lucky you. Don't fuck this chance up too much now.'

I hum to myself as I pass over the wares, eyes shifting from bit to bit, it's a fucking armoury here. The man getting his equipment back really did help, there's just so fucking much. Any ideas on what to take?

'Why are you relying on me so much lately? I'm just your inner thoughts that's meant to yell at you for doing dumb shit, I'm far from a good conversation partner right now. Actually look at what's there and take what you need.'

Ah, right. That's a pretty good point. Very well then, what do I actually need? I have a sword that I don't use much, and I'll sooner be going to hell than replacing my cloak for anything. The chain mail I have hasn't exactly seen much use. My left hand twitches as I look over the equipment some more, fingers curling slightly.

Right, I wanted a shield didn't I? I think that works, it's better than trying to dodge everything, or block with a sword. It'll help with taking a hit for someone, too. There's shields here right? I continue my humming and glaze over the rest, though a piece of metal catches my eye, a slightly curved triangle shaped shield, the top shaped into a flat line. A somewhat stereotypical looking shield, but it has a strange lure to it. I grab it with a hand and hold it upwards, the light of the sun shining off of the dull and thick metal, no engravings, but knocking my knuckles against it makes it sound sturdy enough. It is metal after all, not that I can tell the difference between different metals anyways, it seems okay? Fuck, I wish Edward was here to help me with this, I dunno shit bout equipment quality. It's a hunk of metal that can hopefully take a hit.

I flip it to the other side to examine it, the metal on the inside is as plain as the outside, part of it covered by leather from one side to another at a slight angle, of which is held down with metal pins. There's straps of leather attached to the base hide, I assume they're handles for the shield itself? I hum in thought and slide my hand under the straps, the leather of it hugs at my forearm as my hand grips the handle. I lift the shield up closer to eye level as I squeeze the handle, twisting and turning my arm to gauge the feeling of it. It's surprisingly light, but a bit small and admittedly covers my chest area well enough, and I can still twist my arm around if it's needed. It's also a slab of fucking metal, I can probably smack the thing into someones face. It's a pretty good, uh, what type of shield is this meant to be called again? I really don't have a clue, but it seems to potentially be effective enough. I don't want to hang around here for too long, and this should be fine in the end.

I return to the smithy in stride, the shield still latched onto my arm, his back turned as he tends to the anvil, a hammer gripped in his hand striking down onto it. I wince slightly as my ears press downwards, fucking loud noises, hurts my head far too much.

"Hey, I've made my choice." I speak briefly to catch his attention. He hums in surprise and turns to face me, looking to the shield as I hold it up.

"Eh? You want that thing? I should be glad, but I didn't think ya'd take that piece of scrap metal kid." He says gruffy, looking down to it with a keen and curious eye. I raise an eyebrow as I look at him, is he fucking critising my choice of a shield?

"I've made my choice, and I'll stick with it." I reply with a determined tone and fixed stare. He's silent for a moment before chuckling to himself, waving a dismissive hand away.

"You're a weird one kid, now scram before you clog up potential customers." He says with a sense of finality. I guess the conversations finished. I nod and turn, walking aware from the man and his store, the banging of metal ringing in my ears as I do so.

...Actually, I've been wondering.

"Hey sir, what's your name?" I quickly ask the man. I've been calling him 'Smithy' both internally and out loud because of Edward, but surely he has a name for himself right? He stops his hammering as he turns to face me, a stoic look on his face.

"Smith." He answers simply and abruptly, tone as cold as the look on his face.

"...Smith the sm-"

"Finish that sentence kid, and I'll beat you with your own shield. Now scram." I yelp and quickly nod, the bite in his throat as he cuts me off caught me off guard. I make due and jog my way out of the area, gripping my shield in hand as I brush past the crowd. Perhaps some of them is moving to check out Smiths wares? Who knows.

'Heh, Smith the smithy, this place sucks.'

Shhh, it's not that bad, just strange. Right, where to next? Butcher, thing, are butchers here? I'd imagine so, just gotta get food rations for us.

I look to the sky, the suns nearing its apex. One stop left, and times running out. No pressure though, I'd rather get there on time than be even minutely late, best to not disappoint after all.

..

The mumble of the crowd feels sounds dull and muted as I focus in on the market stalls, eyes scanning the products, my head twisting from one side to the other as my eyes flicker alongside it, quickly looking over the presented fruits and other such things.

'Stop doing that, it's making us look like a spastic, can't you just be more normal for once? They're going to notice.'

I can't hesitate brain, I'm looking for something, a slab of meat to be specific, just for Mabel. Wait, I'll need long lasting food for her too right? I'm not too hungry myself, and I should have plenty of rations for a while, so I'll be fine. Keidrans can't eat fruit, they rely on meat products and such, raw meat would be the best. What fucking store here would sell meat? I just see fruits and other piles of garbage that I can't use.

'Right then. Haste may be important, but consider paying attention to what you're looking at?'

Fine, fine, I'm sure I haven't missed much considering what section of the market we're in, I can't imagine that we missed much.

'Thank you, let's keep moving, reject.'

I hum to myself as I shuffle past the lingering bits of a crowd, half distracted by my own musings as I look past haggling citizens. People seem to be selling clothes and such here, maybe I could buy something for Mabel? Sure, they don't need clothes, but still. Hey, for someone who's meant to be my 'inner thoughts', you've been kinda chatty recently, more so than… any time I can remember anyways, have you always been like that? Or did I forget about it in the inbetween?

'..It's difficult to say, I'm you yet not, I've always been with you and I always will. It's just how it'll always be through thick and thin. Though you are correct, we have been having more fruitful conversations than the depths of your memory can recall. Perhaps it has something to do with this world? Perhaps it's due to magic, or maybe you're truly falling into the deep end, who knows?'

I sigh to myself and rub at my temple, soothing the encroaching throbbing in my skull to lessen its inevitable pain. What a fucking confusing topic, to argue with myself over my own thoughts, is there a point to this? Wouldn't this just muddle our- my mind further? I'm still me, right?

'Despite your confusion, the use of we and I can be used interchangeably, just think of me as a… really angry guardian angel cross voice in your head that puts you down occasionally. It's nothing personal, it's just how you think, I'm just bringing it to light. I can feel things around you too and bring that up, just in case you miss something. How convenient for you, right?'

I grumble and run my hand through my hair, the cluttered stench of the humans around here smells… awfuls a good word for it, it's also not helping me think very straight. Well, straighter I mean, same thing. What a fucking mess of a situation, I don't have time to talk to myself right now either. All that aside, back to the reason why I'm actually here to begin with. Actually, why am I wasting my fucking time like this? Why don't I just ask someone? I smack a palm against my forehead and groan, approaching an unoccupied merchant.

"Excuse me sir, can you tell me where one would find a butcher around here? I must be off quickly." I swiftly and clearly ask the man, trying not to slur or mumble over my words as best I can. He turns with a surprised look on his sleek face, rounded and shiny with what seems to be sweat, his golden teeth bared as his lips curl into a smile. The hairs on the back of my neck raise as his beady eyes almost leers over my body, lingering on my bag, of which slid down from by back to my hip, pressing against my leg.

'Trust this man as far as we can throw a bundle of blubber.'

Agreed.

"Welcome, welcome young furry lad! What would you be needing?" He asks, a sickeningly false sweet tone of voice leaking from his tongue as he leans on both hands, pressing against his wooden stall. I grimace and clench my fists, left hands still gripping the shield, which I really ought to find a place to put. I don't like the way he's looking at me.

"I need directions, sir, could you send me the right way to whatever equivalent of a butcher there is? I'm in a bit of a rush." I clarify as I cross my arms, staring into the mans black eyes as my claws clack against the ground. His disgusting smile continues to widen, a greedy glint in his eyes.

"Maybe I know, maybe I don't, I might need a reminder of some kind… Why don't you browse my wares? Perhaps that might ring a bell?" I smother the growl in my throat as he continues to grin, his eyes shifting from bag to face. He's trying to get me to spent fucking money to get information outta him? Fucking merchants. I don't have time for this. I let loose an aggravated sigh and rub at my face, better keep my hands busy so I don't slug one into his face.

"Christ, fine. What do you have then, merchant?" I reply through gritted teeth. The sight of the slimy mans visage is terrible and gross, especially as he excitedly shifts around, I bet he can imagine the feel of my coin hitting his hand. Is there an exchange rate for silver to gold coins here? I hope so, otherwise this is gonna get messy.

"Well, you're a lad right? I'm sure there's a lady you might have your eyes on, perhaps there's something you could gift to her…?" He lingers off as he waves his hand over his merch, drawing my eye to the tinkling gleam of gems and whatnot. I feel mood sour further and further in the presence of this fucker, him trying to push probably overpriced and otherwise worthless jewels onto me doesn't help his case. I wonder…

"Do you sell clothing of any kind, sir merchant?" I inquire, looking up to meet his eyes. Another greedy glint appears as he steps aside, revealing otherwise obscured clothing. Tsk, what's with all the rich looking mercantile class men being so unapproachable? It's kinda gross, and almost stereotypical, it's weird as hell.

"Of course! I've many a cloth for one to wear, both to charm a girl and for a charming girl! Is there any that catches your eye, my good sir?" He speaks in an overly friendly manner, his hands clasped together. Fucker, I know you just want my money, stop looking at me. I hum to myself and take a glance over the clothing, it's somewhat difficult to see from here, but I manage well enough. Nothing catches my eye, not truly anyways, but…

"Do you have anything akin to a banada? A larger one to be specific." He hums himself and rubs a finger against his chin.

"I believe so, but that seems so dull, a simple bandana shant do for a rugged ranger like yourself! What of a proper shawl, or a cloak, fit for a noble woman?" Is he trying to fucking up sell what I want to get more coin outta me? Fucking greedy merchant, what the fuck does he mean by 'ranger? Is that what I come off as? I feel sweat bead on my forehead as a tense feeling burrows into my heart, eyes flickering up to the rising sun. Running out of time, am I gonna be late? Fuck, will they forgive me for it?

'Calm down for a second and breathe, you losing control of yourself wont get us by quicker, as much as we loathe the man, I can't imagine we're allowed to beat the information out of him. Also, they wouldn't be that angry at you for being late, it's my job to put you down dumb ass.''

Yeah, you're right. I subdue a groan and rub at my temple, fucking merchants.

"Fine then, show me what scarves you got." I begrudgingly submit to his less than honest looking man, the greedy gleam in his eyes rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it would've been smarter to just keep bumbling around aimlessly, it'd be less of a headache. At least I can get something for her.

"I promise, I shan't disappoint!" He boasts with a proud and slimy grin before dipping from few, grunting as he kneels behind his stall. I can't hear much over the crowd that surrounds us, but he at least rises quickly, arms stuffed with various colouration and forms of scarves, of which splurges out and over the desk. A nervous noise escapes his throat, along with an equally nerve filled chuckle alongside it as he scrambles to straighten the dropped clothing, presenting them in front of me.

"A-ah, you've my most sincere and deepest apologies sir! Now, I personally believe that this one right here would be excellent for wooing a lady!" He says with a cocky looking grin on his face, hands clenching over a silvery-grey scarf. It shines a glittery sheen in the sun, almost blindingly so. I feel myself frown as I hold back a blanch, the jewels that shine in the tail ends of the thing seems so needlessly gaudy and gross, doesn't help that I probably can't afford the thing anyways. I can't see it suiting Mabel anyways, it's too eye catching with the jewellery.

"Ah, this glorious scarf, a mythical item that was blessed by Nora herself! It's said to be a magical artefact due to her prestigious majesty alone!-" He prattles on and on and on, he's really trying his best to sell this pile of garbage to me huh? There's nothing magical I can feel from the thing to begin with, what a fucking scam artist. I ignore the garbage that he continues to spew from his mouth, it's nothing more than his greed talking. Him focusing so much on 'wooing a lady', given who I actually plan on giving this thing to is really off putting, but I'm not gonna bring it up. Pfah, fuck this dude, lets just ignore him and look over the scarves ourselves. Who the fuck's Nora? Sounds kind of important.

They're all admittedly nice looking, although some fall into the overly gaudy category again, why is it that people love to line everything with jewels? I guess it's a symbol of status, but still, it seems so unnecessary. There's so many colours and materials that these things are made of too, brown to white to gold and most other things inbetween. I hum to myself and scratch at my head, confusion brewing in my chest. Fuck, I have no idea what she'd like to wear, god dammit. I yank a glove off of my hand and brush a thumb over a few of the scarves, some are soft like cotton, some feel as if they're scratching at my hand as I try to touch them. Ich, odds are the ones that don't feel like they're gonna tear the fur off of her are likely cheap as dirt, and the others are overpriced beyond belief.

Yadda yadda yadda, he's still trying to sell that pile of cloth to me. I grimace as I feel my mood sour further, part of me wants to leave already, and yet here I am. I furrow my brow as my eyes fall on another pile of cloth. I pick at it with a hand and hold it up to the sky, the mans continuous chatting finally falling silent as I eyeball the thing. It's difficult to hold it in a hand, so I lay part of it out on my shield, its dark purple colouring is a deep colour indeed, a proper name for it doesn't come to mind, royal purple maybe? It's a single colour, but it's a good colour, the soft feeling of it on my fingers is pleasant and the fur of it is cut short, it drinks in the shine of the sun. It feels similar to cotton, it's nice to feel.

"Ah, have you made a choice, my good lad?" He pipes up with a leering gaze over my bag, his wide grin still in place. I hum and pause for a few seconds, gauging the thing further. It seems nice enough, and it's pretty warm…

'Oh my fucking lord, just buy the thing so we can throw our money at the mother fucking butcher around here already.'

Okay okay! Jesus Christ, don't need to shout at me.

"Yeah, I'll be taking it, how much?" I finally answer the man, his covetous hands wringing against each other, somehow his grin grows further, I feel as if the golden teeth he has might not be entirely from neglect. Are faux teeth even possible here? No idea.

"I see! Well, I shan't be one to deny a sale! If it's what you desire Sir, that'll be fourty silver." He replies rather flatly, his grin wavering ever so slightly. Fucker's probably sad that I didn't spend more cash here. Ah, wait, there's an issue.

"I've only a gold coin to my name, would it be possible to be paid for the excess cost?" I question the man, keeping an eye on his face as a hand rummages through my bag, fumbling around for the coin pouch. I feel as if this man's gonna scam me.

"Of course my good lad! It'll be an excess of sixty silver, of which I naturally have around, would that suffice?" He offers, his lips pursing into a thin smile. I keep a stare on the untrustworthy bastard as my hand grips the loose pouch, yanking it into view. I give the singular gold coin to the man, his hands happily grasping it from my grasp.

"Heheheh, a pleasure doing business with you." He says before reaching down with a hand, the clinkering of coin against coin reaching my ears, his spare hand yanking up a sack, thudding against the table. He pulls my coin pouch from my hands and begins to stuff it with coins, surprisingly swiftly and dexterously too, I watch with a tentative fascination as I fold the scarf, stuffing it into my bag. He finishes himself as quick as he began, handing the sinking pouch over to me, it's heft seems heavy enough for sixty coins, so I'll take it. I secure the pouch and shove it into my bag once more.

"Thank you for your time my good lad, if I recall correctly, the butcher should be juuuuust over there." He says, jabbing a finger behind me. I twist to face the direction, in the far distance, icy wisps flowing from the joint as meat hangs from hooks, lodged into its ceiling. It's not just a stall, it's a genuine fucking store, connected to a building and all. It's also, essentially, within spitting distance, we can see the fucking thing from here.

'I did say to pay attention, there's a difference between looking and looking.'

I bite my tongue and give a stiff nod to the merchant, muttering a quick thanks that he may or may not have heard as I march towards the meat stand.

'You've no one to blame but yourself, really.'

Bite me.

…

The butcher was surprisingly blunt and to the point, leaving little time to actually speak to one another. It's a blessing really, I don't have much time. I did figure out that the store used ice magic to cool the meat, akin to a freezer. They sold enough beef jerky looking shit for me to count as 'rations', I bought a bunch in excess for both Mabel and I. I also grabbed a nice helping of genuine raw meat.

The sack dangles from my hand as blood seeps from the thing, dripping through the shoddy sack and onto the dirt pathway as I march up the hill, ever closer to Erics house. It'll be strange to say my goodbyes to the thing, it feels like I've been here for a long while, but it comes to an end sadly. It's been nice while it lasted, and it's not like the extra time here was entirely wasted. I hum an unfamiliar tune as I reach the top of the hill, Eric already in view, chattering to Kathrin with Mabel herself standing behind the girl. There's a smile on their faces, minus Mabels, the poor girl hiding herself behind Kathrins poofy tail, there's a pep in Kathrins movement that I can see even from here. The lovesick girl, I hope they do well. Kathrin stops mid sentence, her eyes flickering to me as she waves, a bright smile on her face as she does so. Eric turns his head, giving a polite smile of his own. Mabel peaks out from behind the tail, her nervous face turning into a bright and excited one as she leaps out from behind her, the older cat yelping in surprise as she sprints her way towards me. She basically barrels herself into my legs, a small 'oof' forced from my lungs as I chuckle, kneeling down to the girls height. The shield slips off of my arm as I hold her in a one armed embrace, a purr coming from her chest.

"You came back." She says simply, I can almost hear the smile on her face. I smile sadly myself and brush a hand through her hair, scratching behind her ears lightly.

"I made a promise, lass. I also promised you some food, and here you are." She pulls away with a confused tilt of her head, her eyes drawn to the bloody bag. I open it up and hold up the ball of meat, a few remaining blood droplets dripping from it into the dirt. It's not a large ball by any means, but I'd like to imagine that it'd be filling enough. If not, there's always more food. I hold it out to her with a small nudge, her eyes skittishly looking at the offering, hands clasped together.

"Mabel? Come on, it's yours." I say with a frown, nudging it towards her once more. She seems hesitant to believe it, but that's not entirely surprising. It takes her a moment, but she soon reaches her hands out to it, her claws gripping into its side. I smile as I let go, the hunk of meat falling into her paws.

"There you go, eat up la-" I'm cut short by the sudden and ravenous demolishing of the meat, the thing almost immediately vanishing from sight, the only remains being the bloody dripping on the sides of her lips. I look at her and blink, the girl licking off the blood from her claws and lips, golden eyes surprisingly focused as she looks up to me. That look disappears almost as quick as her food did, an embarrassed look behind her eyes as she fiddles with her hands once more.

'That was definitely an experience, might need some more food for her later.'

You don't say.

"I got something else for you too, kid." Her head tilts in confusion as I stick my hand back into my back, her eyes focused on the purple scarf. Her confusion only continues to remain as I wrap the cloth around her neck, looping it again and again around her shoulders before fucking it in and pulling away. It's a decently large scarf, so much so that it almost hangs around her small frame like a mini cape minus the hood, or a robe, it's pretty cute. I think the purple suits her, as does the little extra tuft at the front of it.

"There you go Mabel, just something to help you keep warm, I hope it actually works though. Do you like it?" I ask the girl as I fiddle with it some more, brushing it down and looking to her with a bright smile. She seems tentative to touch the scarf that wraps around her, but I can see her lips curl into a faint smile, a light dusting of red on her face as she looks up to me.

"Thank you." She says simply and quietly, a soft nod complementing it. I hold back a 'daw' as I ruffle her hair with a hand, tossing the empty bloody sack far away from here. Littering's probably the least of this places issues, it's fine. I grunt as I push myself up to my feet, re-grabbing my shield as I continue to scratch her head, the girl latching onto my side once again. Perfectly safe with me, I'll keep it that way as best I can.

"So, you've best be off then, correct?" Eric speaks as he approaches, his polite smile still on his face as Kathrin trails behind him, she'd be attached as his hip if she could I'd imagine.

"Aye, thank you both so goddamn much, on behalf of Edward and myself." I reply with a bow, Eric lightly chuckling as he clasps his hands together once more.

"That's quite alright, Zeke. It was definitely an experience to meet you and the trouble you've brought. Do bring a female next time though, if I've one thing to ask. I do need one for my collection." I bite back a sigh as his polite smile turns lecherous, a gleam in his glasses as he adjusts it. I have no idea how he made glass glint basically on que, but I'll roll with it.

"Thank you for enjoying your time here Zeke, and I hope you bring Mabel with you too!" Kathrin pipes up gleefully, grin still broad on her face as she stands beside Eric. She looks pretty excited to look after Mabel, willing too, sounds like a good mother figure.

"Thank you for assisting me, Miss Kathrin, did you like her too lil Mabel?" I ask the little girl suddenly, a surprised noise coming from her face. She steps from foot to foot as we look to her, but she does eventually nod, though her lips are sealed shut. I rub my hand through her hair and smile regardless, it's good enough, cute kid.

"I think it is best that we leave though, I do hope that we may meet once again, the both of you." It feels bittersweet to bid farewells to them, with a wave and another bow, the latter probably being unneeded. Kathrin seems a little saddened by our farewell, but she still has that childish hopefulness around her, and Eric's _Eric_, probably wished that I was a chick, weirdo.

I give them a final wave before heading down the hill, the two of them probably heading inside themselves. I feel a sad smile encroach on my face as Mabel grips my free hand, my shield taking up my left spot. I look down to the girl by my side, her focus enraptured by the looming visage of the buildings as we pass them, my hand ever so gently squeezing hers.

'I don't think we'll see them again.'

Even so, we must push forward, we've places to go and people to see after all. Can't keep them waiting.

**Authors note: I'm still somewhat sick, so maybe the quality isn't the best, but I hope you all can read through it.**

**Updating schedule should go back to kind of normal, a bit of a delay. **

**Hope you all have a fantastic day. **

**Also holy shit, chapter 30, that's pretty cool. **


	31. Chapter 31

The sun seems to be on the verge of reaching its peak in the clear sky above as we waltz over the bridge, the merchants' wagons already waiting and hitched to the horses, Vector still tending to his in earnest. I hear a soft sniff from Mabel as she squeezes my hand once more, my gaze moving down to her as the nerves in my chest stirs. Her face is stiff and her lips tremble lightly, but despite that, she still forces an attempt to at least seem steadfast. I smile sadly and slip my hand from hers, resting it upon her head and brushing lightly.

"It'll be okay little Mabel, I made a promise." I remind the girl, her body jolting slightly as she looks up to me. She doesn't respond verbally, her gold eyes staring into my own, but she does nod instead, her hands clutching at the gifted scarf as she nudges herself into my side. The scarf looks cute on her, albeit a bit too large, her wrapping it around her face is adorable. It's _way _too big for her to wear it like that.

"Here I was thinking that I'd have to find and drag you here, what took you so long?" Edwards voice rips me from my thoughts, tearing my sight from Mabel to him. He rests his hand upon his sheathed blade, clad in his full armour set and standing upright, nice and proud. I didn't notice him before, maybe he was on the other side of the wagon?

"Hey, I'll have you know I've arrived _just _on time, as I promised. I just had some things to clean up before I left is all." I reply with a dismissive wave of my spare hand, grin in my face as I gently press my other behind Mabels ears in a mostly absentminded scratch, an affectionate gesture she seems to enjoy. Anything to keep her calm, humans and all, and she's gonna be around a few humans for the next while.

"Right, I won't pry too much into what 'business' you had to do, it's not my place nor my interest Seems that you did some shopping around though." He points out, eyes trailing over both the shield I grip and the scarf that encompasses Mabels face. The girl shivers as he looks over her, moving behind my leg. I keep a hand on her head and shrug, a small smile still in my face as I lift it up.

"Aye, I thought a shield would help keep me safe, it seems sturdy enough to hide behind, what do you think?" I ask the man, wiggling the shield ever slightly with a soft motion. He hums to himself and saunters over, a keen eye examining the hunk of metal up and down, a knuckle knocking against it with a dull thrum.

"It seems well made enough, if a tad plain, function over form and whatnot. I'm surprised you've an eye for such a thing." He comments as he backs away, leaning onto the wagon once more. My throat clenches up awkwardly, coughing to clear it doing little as I rub the back of my neck. Edward raises an eyebrow, arms crossed and fingers tapping against them.

"...You did know what you were doing, right?" He prods a little verbally, a less than bashful grin being my only reply. He both sighs and groans, rubbing a hand against his face.

"Right, I should've figured that. We're about to leave, so toss your things into a wagon and prepare to march." He finishes the conversation with a jabbing of his thumb towards said wagon, pushing himself off and marching to the opposite side of the two. I guess I'm guarding on this side for the time being, no problem. I roll my eyes and unsling my bag, holding it with my shield hand for the moment, my other hand still rubbing Mabels head, even as I walk to the back.

"Alright, I think it might be best for you to hop in a wagon for the journey, lil Mabel. It's a long walk, and I don't want you to be feeling sore because of it, okay?" I say as I look down to her. She looks skittish for a moment, but she nods with a small squeak. I don't hold back my little 'daw', her eyes squinting with a smile on her face as I rub at her head once more. Come on, she's fucking cute right?

'Why are you asking me about it? Rather conceited to get approval from yourself after all.'

Aw, never thought I'd be a fun killer. I heave and shove my bag into the cart, freezing in confusion as a yelp comes from inside the place. I raise an eyebrow and slowly step closer to it, a hand reaching to lift the flaps. I yelp myself as a pale and miffed face appears in front of me, jumping backwards in surprise.

"Hey! What's the big idea, huh? I ain't here to have stuff thrown at me, ya know?" Lucy's shrill voice invades my ears, huffing and pouting as she leans against the wooden bits of the wagon. I blink rapidly, rubbing at my temple with a soft sigh.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but what the _fuck_, why are you here Miss Lucy?" I question the mage inquisitively, raising an eyebrow as I glare her down.

"Awh, I didn't want ya to fall behind on your magical studies and stuff, so I thought I should tag along! I reaaaaaally hope ya don't mind, I was gunna ask _before _you left, but I was kinda busy with the mess _you _made. The rest o' the room seems okay with it~" She explains in what sounds like a faux soft manner, a smug gleeful smile on her face as she leans into it. I sigh again and groan, eyes flickering down below me for a few seconds as Mabel squeezes in behind my legs and the cloak once again, looking over to the other wagon.

"Hey, Edward!" I call out to the guardsman, his head poking out from the other side of the wagons.

"Yeah?"

"The fuck is this?" I question once again as I point a hand towards Lucy, a smug grin still on her face as she hums.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Edward answers unhelpfully with a shrug, a sly smile on his face as he pulls his head back, disappearing again. I run a hand through my hair, thoughts running through my mind.

"Okay, I assume that you have everything prepared for yourself?" She nods quickly, her head disappearing behind the flaps for a moment, a scuffling noise coming from the insides before reappearing, holding out a deep brown bag to the air. It looks like an oversized pouch from around here, leather straps on leather to, well, strap it down, though a piece of paper sticks out from the tip of it. She nods once more before yanking the bag back inside with her, back to resting her head atop her hands.

"Yup yup! I got everythin all ready for myself, don't need ta worry bout me! Who's the lil fox right there though? Friend o' yours?" Mabel lets out a small squeak from behind me as Lucy points a finger towards her, tittering lightly as she does so.

"I guess you could call her that, she's gonna be with us for the foreseeable future, can't say that I expected you to come along. What about your clinic? Is everything gonna be okay there?" She scoffs and waves a hand dismissively, I still feel weird for thinking about the whole slave _thing _that's going on. I just want her safe.

"Awh,dontcha worry bout telling me your _things_, I'll keep your secrets safe~ And the clinic's gonna be okay, it's not like I get many clients to begin with, so I've just closed up shop for the next while, it's not like it matters _that _much." She answers casually, she talks with such a carefree air around here when speaking about it. Well, if she says that it'll be fine then I guess I gotta believe her about it, it's not like I can convince the chick to stay here. Besides, it's more magic lessons when we get the time.

'A joyous occasion, more time to spur us further into mental madness, woohoo!'

Shush, we'll know our limits, hopefully anyways. Lucy being _here _in that wagon specifically it's quite unfortunate though, humming to myself as I look down to Mabels shivering form, still hiding behind me as she looks up to Lucy with a concerned look.

"Hey, sorry to bother you about it, but do you think you could move to the other wagon?" I request from the mage, her face morphing into a pout once more, huffing as she does so.

"Awh, but I'm already so comfy here! Why do ya want me to do that anyways?" I gesture with a hand towards the shivering leaf of the keidran, resting a hand on her head with a brief rub. That soothes her slightly at least, she's not as spooked as before.

"Mabel here, that's her name by the way, doesn't really get along with humans. At least not with ones shes just met, we're working on it, but I don't want to force her to do anything. I'd switch with Edward, but Gerome's rather friendly and chatty, at least Vectors quiet. I just need to be by her side" I continue to explain to her. Truthfully, I wouldn't mind just switching with Edward, I'm sure that Gerome would understand, if be a bit awkward about it all, but still. She pouts, her bottom lip trembling and eyes watering.

"Awh, you wanna kick little _me _outta here? But I just got coooomfy."

"Yes." I answer swiftly and bluntly, maintaining eye contact with her. She drops the act, though a pout's still on her face.

"Phooey, you're no fun, fuzzface. Fiiiiine, I'll move." She finally agrees with a grumble, grunting as she disappears once more, stepping out from the wagon. She lands on two feet with a huff, a pout still on her face as she glares at me. I cough and rub at the back of my neck awkwardly, I'm sure she'll get over it, but still.

"We'll do magic stuff soon, I promise, happy?" I offer an olive branch to her with a smile. She continues to stare at me for a few moments longer, huffing haughtily but nodding in the end.

"Oy, is everything being okay back here? We are abouts to go." Gerome suddenly enters the fray, his head popping out from beside us.

"Aye, we're basically ready to go." I reply to him as I escort Mabel to the wagon, helping her up and over the wooden barrier, still keeping a tight grip on my shield. It's awkward, but I don't want to be without it, I've been in a few situations without something to defend myself. Now that I have someone else to defend too, I can't be careless.

I chuckle as I overhear Lucy grumbling, glancing out of the corner of my eye as she tries to haul herself into the wagon, my chuckling turning into laughter as she yelps, shoved into it ungracefully by Edward himself. She pokes her head out of the flaps with a burning face, verbally lashing at the man, who only shrugs and moves himself back to his post. It's an amusing sight.

"Are you gonna be okay kid? I'll be within arms reach, just yell for me if you need anything." I say to the girl, I'm not sure if I'm comforting myself or her, but either way it gets a nod from the girl.

"Okay." She says simply in a soft voice. I smile and ruffle her hair again, taking my place by the side of the wagon as the merchants shout, wood creaking as they're carried onwards.

Back on the road again, hopefully it's _less _eventful than last time.

…

The march feels long, very long, like we've been walking for hours and hours on end with minimal breaks, but I feel like we've good progress in returning to Dartwood. From midday to deep into the night we walk, I occasionally lag behind to check up on Mabel, the girl's been quiet and nervous looking since the beginning, but she keeps a stiff upper lip at least, rather entertained by the sounds of the birds.

"I like the bird noises." She says with an innocent smile on her face as her ears flicker, distracted eyes gazing into the canopy. I chuckle and ruffle her head, she's a cute kid. I look up into the night sky, the moon began its ascent a while ago, and my legs pulse with a dull pain from the march. I ruffle her head once more as a temporary goodbye before dipping to the other side of the twin wagons.

"Hey Edhead, you got time to chat?" I call out to the guardsman, his stiff march hesitating for a brief moment as he turns to face me, slowing down to stand by my side.

"It's best to keep guard, but I could have a moment to spare. Is there an issue? Do you hear anything?" He whispers hushedly, his face leaning close even as his eyes glare into the deep woods, squinting slightly. Hear anything? Why wou- oh yeah, last time we were out here I listened a bit too hard.

"Nothing like that, as far as I know there's nothing other than the birds, do you think it would be a good idea to find a quick place to rest for the night? It's getting late, and the horses would need to rest." I ask the man, despite the assurance of safety, I keep my voice as low as his. I guess his paranoia's rubbing off on me.

'It's not as if you don't have your own bouts of _needless _paranoia, at least his worry isn't without reason. We got an arrow to the leg last time we were out here after all, dumbass.'

Pfeh, details details.

"Mn, perhaps I've been too caught up in forcing us too hard, I'll speak to Gerome shortly though. Back to your post you go though, we've spoken too long." I roll my eyes and give him a poorly maintained salute, a half grin on my face as he shakes his head. I hear his boots crunching sticks as I return to my post, returning back to Mabel. Her face pokes out from behind the wraps, her eyes flickering as her maw opens, the squeak of a yawn forcing itself from it. I stand by her side and brush her head, her prolonged yawn eventually subsiding.

"We'll set up camp soon, you'll get some sleep then, okay?" I tell the kid, her eyelids flickering as she rubs at them groggily, pressing her head against my hand.

"Okay.." She says simply with a mumble, voice as soft as the wind that brushes against me as her head nods off slightly. She looks far too soft, far too pure to be in a world like this, especially as a slave.

'The way you've been so touchy feely and emotional over this kid is worrisome, and weird, stop being a creep.'

I feel my face morph into a grimace, though I step to the side of the wagon itself to hide it from her. There's nothing _creepy _about looking out for a child, it's a decent bit of humanity that should extend to anyone with morals! I've made a promise to keep her safe, and I'll keep at it till my body breaks.

'Right right, if you say so.'

I believe it so, and I'll make it a reality as best I can. It's a purpose beyond the endless wandering of the land that my heart longs for, perhaps it's selfish to drag her alongside it, but it's better than the alternative of staying as an unhappy slave.

'So it's better to you that you make her be a _happy _slave? Even if _you're_ her master?'

Can't set her free, not here, as much as I want to do so. I feel like we've been over this a bunch to be honest, it feels like a dull conversation topic now.

'Hey, I'm just you talking to you, anything I say is what you say to yourself.'

I'm aware, I'm _very _well aware. I shake my head, giving it a few soft slaps, get outta that mindset Zeke, stop talking to yourself. The wagons creak and shake as they veer off of the road, surprise clutching at my chest for a brief moment before feeling returns to it, dipping back to Mabels side. She lets out a frightened yelp as she climbs out from behind the flaps, her arms tensing before she drags herself forward, basically _leaping _onto me. I grunt as she collides with my chest, her arms wrapping around my neck as mine wraps around her back, unsteady breathing coming from her chest as her head twists to look back. They veer off into a clearing, mostly plain and dull with the scattering of rocks and grass inside it.

"Shshsh, it's okay Mabel, it's okay. They're gonna set up camp right now, okay?" I try to comfort the trembling lass. Her shaking does eventually die down, although it's slowly, and she does slide off of my chest, standing beside me as her eyes wander over the clearing, she still seems jittery. I sigh and ruffle her head, stepping into the clearing myself, her hands clutching at the sides of my cloak as she follows along. The merchants unload their troughs with a fevered haste, the horses kicking and snorting heatedly even as they tend to them, whispering to them softly with tender touches to soothe them. Looks like they were pushed a bit too hard, hopefully nothing negative happens because of it, but it's best to keep it in mind just in case. Lucy makes a surprise appearance as she pushes herself out of her wagon, her clothing and general attitude unkempt and unamused, a huff and pout on her white face.

"We'll be setting up camp here, but you've likely realised that, I'll be searching to gather some wood for the fire, and you'll be doing your part by looking out for the camp itself. Is _she _going to be an issue, or do you have it under control?" Edward questions as he approaches, steeled eyes and a finger jabbing towards the small keidran by my side, the girl yelping and moving herself under my cloak under his glare.

"Hey hey, don't give her a hard time, I have everything under control, it'll be fine. I'll look after the camp, I'll even take the first shift, hows that sound?" I try to reassure and offer him, keeping a hand on top of Mabels head. Poor girl, there's no need to be a dick to a kid Edward, come on.

"Right, if you say so. Will there be an issue with her sleeping in a wagon?" He continues to question, hand fingering at his hilt as he looks around our surroundings, not like I can speak, my spare hands gripping at my shield like there's no tomorrow. Fucking forests.

"Can't say for certain, but I'll deal with it as it comes. Lets get to work though." He nods and grunts, boots twisting in the dirt as he marches off into the woods himself. I release a sigh and walk into the clearing, focusing on the surroundings myself, mostly on my ears.

There's work to do, at least Mabel seems less uneasy.

…

The firewood crackles and burns with an intense heat, the wood fuelling it turning charred and ashen, thanks to Edwards assistance. Said man's still awake even deep within to the night, the moon on the brink of reaching its apex within the night sky, a stick prodding and fanning the flames every so often. I feel little heat from, but the small amount of warmth I feel from the thing is appreciated. The majority of the warmth that inhabits my chest comes from the slightly oversized organic heater that purrs deeply within my arms, my cloak wrapped around Mabel as I lean against the makeshift post, the rocks far from a comfortable place to relax, but I muscle through it regardless. I hum lightly to myself as I brush a hand through her hair, a faint ghosting of a smile on her sleeping face as she continues her slumber. She refuses to sleep in either of the wagons, even with Lucy's assurance, and thus she remains with me. Not that I mind it so.

'Id argue that her insistence only made her more wary, she's far from a people person, and Mabel's adverseness to humans would only exemplify that.'

Can't exactly argue with a good point, not that I can think of anything else that could challenge it. I'm not complaining about her though, the closer she is the better I can protect her. My eyes wander beside myself, sword and board propped up against the same rock as myself, best keep it within arm's reach after all. It feels strange to have a weight on my chest, and to be without my chain mail, that along with my bags been tossed into a wagon for the night, it's easier than lugging it around when it's not needed. The organic heater's pretty god damn warm, partially because of the scarf, I'd like to hope that it'll be a worthwhile purchase.

"Do you have a clue on how to use a shield, Fuzz?" Edwards' voice rings out in the otherwise silent night, the fire crackling once more as he stokes the flame in front of us once more, the fire roaring briefly. Equipment by one side within close reach, a friend by the other, it feels almost safe and homely even within the uncertainty of the night. And the discomfort of using _rocks_, at least Edward's just sitting on one.

"Can't say I do, I can't imagine it's too hard though. Are shields rare or something?" I reply with a shake of my head, eyes looking up to him inquisitively. His stare remains focused on the fire, blinking his half lidded eyes every so often with a blank face. He looks tired, though he tries to mask it as best as he can. He really should get some sleep, I did promise to take the first watch.

"Mn, it's not as if its unheard of, but it's definitely not common by any stretch. I recall a few in my squad that used shields, though they used kite shields, they're far from maneuverable as your own." He responds, looking into the dirt, it feels as if he's recollecting some memories. Definitely looks the part anyways, though that does bring into another question I'm curious about.

"Your squad, huh? Were you close to them?" I prod gently with a soft voice, very very gently, I still remember the last time I brought up things from his past. It's still my fault, but that's besides the point. He shrugs, a blank stare looking into the fire.

"Not really, Uncle always believed it to be best for myself to act as the leader with whatever squad he decided for a mission. I never understood why, at least back then, I always believed myself to be so much _better _than them… I still don't believe it to be entirely untrue, but that's due to my own focus in training rather than theirs. In the end, it's not how a leader nor a proper Captain should be thinking." He answers, almost rambling on at the end. I let out a surprised hum as my ears peak up, shuffling and digging myself into the rock as best I can, gotta get comfy somehow. He scoffs suddenly, shaking his head.

"Shit, sorry, got lost in thought there. Maybe I should sleep soon." He apologises with a mumble, his stick hanging loosely in the tips of his fingers. I roll my eyes and slink an arm out of the protective blanket of my cloak, gently jabbing at his leg.

"You're right about sleeping, I told you I'd take the first shift for the night dummy, but don't apologise for talking about yourself. It's nice to hear you open up, the ever elusive Edward Backstory is an interest indeed. So what was it then? Just you being a bit cocky about your skills when it came to fighting?" I assure the man with a chuckle, yanking my arm back to my chest, pulling the cloak back over the squirming form of Mabel, her movements dying down quickly soon after. Can't wake the kid up after all. Edwards lips curl into a smile himself, though his chuckles seem only half hearted, not quite as mirthful as it ought to be.

"More or less, there was rarely a time where I felt as if I was genuinely pushed to become better, so I became complacent for a while. Maybe it's because I'm good, maybe the others just didn't care for the job as much as I did. Uncle always wiped the floor with me whenever we practised, my body would hurt as much as my pride, so I leaned away from it somewhat." He continues his talkative rambling about his past, the smile on his face souring lightly. Ah, less than nice memories then. He is a proud man after all, with his determination to be a guardsman and all.

"Maybe your uncle was trying to force you into a leadership role to _make _you grow up and get out of that proud shell of yours?" I offer an explanation for it as I look up to him. He hums, shanking the fire some more and nodding slowly.

"I thought the same, granted, it definitely didn't set in back then. Uncle's an interesting man, I respect him immensely, along with Father, though I don't always understand nor agree with their methods to say the least." He trails off at the end of it, almost sounds like he's running out of steam for the topic. Hey, wait a second.

"Wouldn't that have really burnt you when we first met, though? We didn't exactly meet on nice terms after all." I quickly point out, cursing myself soon after as Mabel squirms, a disgruntled frown on her face as she shivers. Edward lets out a strange mix of a sigh and a groan, running a hand over his face as he slouches. I can't help but snicker a little, it's fun to rib him.

"That's definitely a way to say it, losing to a mutt like you kicked my pride between the legs. Didn't help that Uncle had to drag me to you to apologise, then you asked me to that inn, then Uncle forced me to take you on this job…" He trails off, his face scrunching together as he waves his hand in front of himself, "And here we are now, er, no offence on the 'mutt' thing either, you already know how I feel about that mess."

I stifle a chuckle, my chest rumbling from its depths despite my efforts, though Mabel doesn't stir like last time. Deep in sleep, she deserves it.

"None taken, I feel like I've had to say that a little bit lately, but no harm no foul. Well, there was harm, which I'm still sorry about by the way." I say with a sheepish smile on my face, I still feel awkward about that. It really wasnt the best meeting. He scoffs, waving a hand and standing upright, stretching himself with a grunt, his neck cracking as he twists his head.

"Bah, I feel like we've been over this a bit much, but it's humorous to reminisce about it. Somewhat ironic in a sense I guess. Anyhow, I'm off to bed, wake me when it's my shift Fuzz." He turns and gives a backhanded wave as he makes his way to a wagon. I give himself a wave of my own, even if he can't see it, its the thought that counts. I sigh as he disappears from view, frowning slightly as I slump against the rock, looking up to the midnight sky. The stars glitter and shine above, twinkling against the tenebrous backdrop lit up by the moon. It's a full moon, and it sits wondrously within the sky, the night's soothing and calming. I sigh and smile, the rock against the back of my head is far from comfortable, but it's acceptable enough.

I feel like I've laid here for a while, watching the moon float by, my heart beating slowly as Mabel nestles against my chest. It's… I feel relaxed, super relaxed, it's nice. It feels foreign and strange, but I'll welcome it nonetheless. My eyelids feel heavy as I yawn, smacking my lips together as darkness flickers before my eyes.

'Someone approaches.'

A sober feeling grips my chest like an icy hand, my eyes forcing themselves open as I hastily force Mabel off of me, the girl thudding against the ground with a confused yelp. I reach and grip at my equipment, fumbling with my shield as I slide it over my arm, standing upright and bringing it to my chest, standing in front of the confused and stumbling keidran and shoving my sword towards the deep dark depths of the woods.

"I know you're there, show yourself, and there'll be no harm." I shout to the trees and canopy above, looking behind myself briefly to Mabel, her shivering form hiding behind me with a sniffling whimper. I grit my teeth and force myself to focus on the unknown in front of us, as much as I want to soothe the girl, I can't risk being stabbed in the back. Not again, not in front of her either. My ears poke up as the branches stir, the whisper of a disturbance in the trees, I clench my teeth and hand, the tip of my blade rising up and down with tense breath. A blacked figure drops from the trees, my eyes furrow as I glare at the intruder. It rises to its feet, it's a very brown figure, from its furred snout and general body to the hair that splits between and beside his eyes, his hands raised up in a passive surrender.

"Wait wait wait, I'm not here to harm." He replies hurriedly, brown pupils eyeing up and down my body. I steady myself and keep the tip of my blade pointed towards his chest. Wait a second, I know this person, what the fuck?

Despite myself, I feel my grip loosening as I continue to stare.

"Zen?"


	32. Chapter 32

"Zen? What the fuck are you doing here? And why did you feel the need to pop up so late at night, and so _silently _too, I nearly ran you through dammit." I whisper to the man fiercely, relaxing my tense muscles and shoving my sword back into its sheath. I still keep a firm grip on my shield at least as he drops his hands, releasing a terse sigh of this own.

'I can't say that either of us could've predicted this man to show up, stay on guard, we know what his _profession _is personally, after all.'

You don't need to remind me, brain, I'm very well aware of what happened in our _last _meeting, even if it ended up going well. Can't let my guard down.

"Yeesh, you're a little touchy aren't you? I just wanted to check up on a friend of mine, is there something wrong with that?" He retorts, putting a hand to his chest in a faux hurt manner, the cheeky grin on his face reveals the joking manner at least.

"There _are _better ways to get my attention than stalking me when I'm on guard, dumbass. Do you _not _realise how dumb that was? I really wouldn't have wanted to hurt you." I chide him, sighing through clenched teeth. Annoyance flares in my chest and mind as he waves a hand in an overly lackadaisical manner, planting himself in front of the dying fire.

"Bah, it would've gone alright, probably anyways. Come over here, I'll get us nice and warm." He says casually, hovering his hands in front of the pit. His neck glows a faint light as he whispers a few words, the wood reigniting into a bright red flame, warmth washing over myself. I twist my lips and look down to Mabel. She's a shivering mess as the wind flows through her fur, latching onto my side as she smothers herself in the scarf. I guess there's no harm in being a bit warmer, right? If only for Mabel…

I sigh and approach the odd and less than effective assassin, guiding Mabel alongside me and joining Zen in the warmth. The fire's quite a bit less large than when it was reignited, barely appropriate to call it a medium sized flame now by any means, but the heat from it is comforting at least. Mabels gentle sigh confirms that too, her shivering halting soon afterwards as she moseys herself into my side, dragging my cloak around her in a semi-formed blanket.

'We might regret trusting him, stay alert, even if you feel the insistent need to do things for the keidran.'

I get it, I get it, but we might also _not _get completely fucking dicked from this, who knows? I've made a promise to her, too, I'll keep it as best as I can, and I'll comfort her as well as I ought to.

"What is it that brings you here, Zen? While I'm sure you saying that you wanna just check up on me is _totally _legitimate, I'm sure you'd forgive this friend for being a bit more sceptical about it." I jab at the man with deadpan tone, wrapping an arm against Mabels curled form, part of which is to give her some more warmth I guess, part to smother the niggling need to keep her safe. It's something I guess

.

"Hey hey, I'm being truthful about that! Assassins honour!" I press a finger to my lips and hiss a 'sshhh' at him as his voice rises, his hand crossing over his heart.

"Shhh, be quiet for fucks sake, a friend of mine isn't very keen on keidran, let alone _wolf _keidran." I scold Zen once more, twisting my head to check back on the wagons. There's no sound of movement at least, there's not much sound in general, just the crackling of the fire and the collective breathing from the three of us, the smell of ash filling my nose once more. I let out a thankful sigh and twist back to face Zen, an eyebrow raised.

"Beside that potential disaster, seriously though? 'Assassins honour'? Can you name me _one _person who'd actually take that at face value and believe in it?" I ask the man with a sarcastic tone, a lopsided smile on my face. He pokes his tongue out at me, which is new to say the least, wasn't _I _meant to be the one that does that?

"I'll have you know, being an assassin is a perfectly respectable job from where we're from." He retorts, a friendly and optimistic grin on his face. He's taking this in stride at least, and his cheery attitude is at least somewhat infectious, I can't keep the smile off of my face either. I guess, I guess this is nice? I'm not sure, but I might as well roll with it.

"Mhm, I'm _sure _it is, but I'd be a hypocrite to judge you for it." I feel somewhat sober as memories flood into my mind, shaking my head's a failure to clear most of them. Tsk, I wasn't much better than an assassin, was I?

"I speak the truth though, I just wanted to check up on you to see if you were alright. We, ah, didn't exactly leave on the best circumstances did we?" He pipes up with an oddly meek tone, a coy smile on his face as he glances up to me. I sigh to myself, rubbing at my face.

"Maybe not, but it definitely could've gone a lot worse for all of us. I do forgive you for it, the both of you, it's just kinda hard to forget. Speaking of the _two _of you, where's your brother meant to be? I figured that he'd be conjoined at the hip to you." I ask the singular magi brother, my ears twitching as I peer into the surroundings. No, there's definitely only one of him, that much I'm sure of. Zen snickers into a hand, his smile turning into a more light hearted one.

"My brother didn't quite enjoy the thought of coming out to meet you, he's not exactly the most sociable one after all." Ah, I should've figured that, he didn't speak much last time either, although there wasn't much opportunity for it anyways.

"Right, I get that at least. It just seems strange to see the Magi _Brothers _isolated from each other is all."

"While it might seem a little strange, we do each other by our sides." He assures with a level tone, but there's something odd about it, there's a twist of his lips at the tips and a flash of _something _behind his eyes. What's up with that?

'There's something odd about this man, as well as his brother. What's he hiding? Must be important'

"Why do you mean by that?" I inquire with a tilt of the head. He's silent for a few moments before chuckling, waving a hand.

"Bah, don't worry about it too much. But what about _her_, hm? What's the little kid doing with you?" He swiftly nips that conversation topic in the bud, jamming a digit towards Mabel, her eyes flickering open to look at him. She mumbles under her breath, looking somewhat uncomfortable as her eyes gaze away from Zen. I purse my lips as I rest a hand on her head, her smile returning as I do so, at least for a few meek moments.

"It's, well, kind of complicated. To talk about I mean, it's otherwise pretty simple." I struggle to force those strained words out of my throat, internally wincing as Zen frowns, nodding slightly.

"No no, it's okay. I'd feel bad about trying to force you to share anything." He replies, I assume he's trying to be reassuring with his soft smile, leaning back and pressing his hands into the dirt. Tsk, optimistic and almost trusting bastard, it belies his job as a bloody assassin.

'Or perhaps it's a front for you to be _more _trustworthy because of his oddly carefree attitude? He's an adult after all, and any person with a brain could take advantage of _you_ with enough mental workings. Besides, why mince words? Mabel's a slave, and you're a slave owner, it's not just legal here, it's a fucking _profession _to trade and sell the fucks, it wouldn't be that much of a shock.'

Tsk, way to be blunt. I guess that's all right, at least I think it's right, it's strange to have an argument with my own head after all. It's accepted here legally, but I don't accept it in my heart, or the emotional part of my brain. Eh, fuck it, what's the worst that could happen?

"She's my slave, legally bought and everything, I'm her owner because of it. There you go, happy?" I quickly and almost spitefully blurt the answer, a grimace on my face and bile in my throat. Fuck, that was oddly hard to force out, fuck me then. Mabel stirs slightly from my outburst, I feel myself wince as she does so though, I was kinda fucking loud then wasn't I? Zen himself looks surprised, an eyebrow raised on his face as he stares at me.

"Ah, truly? That's, definitely not what I expected of you…" He trails off, I can feel a sense of what feels like _judgement _coming from him. I furrow my brows as I press my hand against Mabels head, the scratching turning into a form of relief from the frustration brewing in my chest. Is he judging me? He is, isn't he?

"I won't be like _them_, I _know _what they're like and how they're act, I won't stoop to their level in a million fucking years." I say in a scathing hissing tone, the blood in my veins heating as the flashes of _them _go through my mind, especially the awful fucking slave traders. Those poor slaves, mentally and emotionally deadened to the world, the hope that should've been held in their eyes would've left long ago. Mabels whimpering brings me out of my thoughts, the heated blood cooling hastily as I look over her. Her face is contorting as her body stiffens, whimpering once again as she clutches the makeshift blanket that is my cloak. I purse my lips and redouble my efforts to soothe the girl, humming softly to her as I scratch behind her ears. A child shouldn't be having nightmares, not that I want to know what nightmares she might have, I don't want to drag more memories from the deep.

Her whimpering and shivering dies down, it's slow, but it is subdued at least. Her face calming down and returning to a mostly peaceful state, it's not a smile of any sorts, but it's far better than the frightened one. My frustration dies alongside her nightmare contorted state, I can physically feel my mood dropping as I sigh, slipping my left hand out of the shield and rubbing my face with it. If it helps her sleep, then I won't let go of her.

"I, fuck, sorry Zen. It's not exactly right of me to blow up at you like that, I just want to keep her _safe_. I want to believe it's better this way to keep her safe rather than to leave her where she was before, maybe I'm wrong, I can't predict the future after all, but I've made this choice." I follow up on myself, my tone feels somewhat flat in my clenched throat, and looking up to the star filled sky does little to cleanse it. I hum to myself, part to clear my throat, and part in thought.

"...Besides, if her family's in the _fox _territory, I don't think _human _laws apply there…" I trail off myself as I continue to stare into the sky, it's a small hint hint nudge nudge in my plans to the assassin opposite me, but I can imagine that he gets the drift. The air between us feels tense with silence, the crackling of the fire the only distraction from it. After a while, Zen chuckles lightly, looking down from the sky to see a bright smile on his face.

"I should've figured you'd be very _not _like them, but you don't need to prove yourself to me or anything, I believe you." He finally replies with what I hope to be a genuine smile. I chuckle to myself, my lips curling up in a smile. You know, I really don't think he's a bad guy, just in a bad profession.

'He's an _assassin _that tried to _kill _us, what's with you and forgiving the people that do that? Why are you so self sacrificing?'

I don't think he's like that, though I am gonna pry him for details later, I've _quite _a few questions to ask him.

"Heh, well, I'm glad to have your side with it I guess, it does help. Let's move to lighter subjects though, at least for now, how're you and your brother going? Specifically, are you two doing okay?" I decide to ask him, changing the subject wouldn't be that bad of an idea, would it? Zen chuckles to himself again, his body posture relaxing once again.

"Natani and I? Other than him being far from social, we're doing fine, a bit less strapped for coins for now at least, but it'll run dry if we don't continue our work." He replies cheerfully, his tone a teasing one oddly enough. His eyes squint slightly as if wincing, his ear twitching, but that only seems to make his grin _wider_. What's that about? I don't think he'd be willing to share.

"Natani? Is that your brothers name? I've only heard you refer to him as Nat as far as I remember." I comment, stretching and wincing as my leg bones creak and crack, sitting cross legged for a while is far from ideal.

"Yeah, he doesn't like it too much, and saying 'Nat' is a whole lot shorter." I hum to myself, rolling the name over my tongue a little.

"Natani, huh? I think it's a nice name at least." Zens snickering turns into a soft laughter, throwing his head back a little bit, a wide grin still staining his face.

"I'm sure Natani would _love _to hear you say that yourself, but I'll pass the word onto him." He says in a light hearted tone. I snicker myself, feeling my body loosen afterwards as we continue to enjoy the night. It's as if the stress of Zen scaring the fuck out of me earlier's _finally _melted away, I'll still rib him for it anyways, asshole.

"...Hey Zen, do you recognise this girl from anywhere? Her name's Mabel, if that helps." I ask him, his body jolting in surprise. Much to my dismay, he shakes his head.

"Sadly no, even if I might have seen her once, our job doesn't really give us the time to _know _people. That, and forest wolves don't exactly get along well with foxes, sorry." He apologises with a saddened tone, smile drooping slightly. Ah, fuck, that's no good is it? I shake my head and wave my hand off, shooting him a smile of my own.

"Nah nah, it's okay, I didn't expect anything solid from it. Just thought I'd ask about it is all." I try to assure the oddly friendly assassin, his smile relighting itself, much better!

'Tsk, I've no idea why you're so keen on being _friends _with this man, who's to say that he wasn't the one that brought you to the brink of death in this world? That is your first recalled memory here, isn't it? The ignite of fire magic washing over you is a disturbing reminder of that fact.'

I bite the inside of my cheek as the thoughts wash over my mind, squeezing my eyes shut and taking in deep breaths. Jesus fucking Christ, don't remind me of that shit dammit, I _know_, I _remember _it very fucking vividly. I'm just extending an olive branch of friendship to work past it is all, it's not like he didn't apologise for it. But that reminds me of another question I wanted to ask him.

"Hey Zen, mind if I pry into your job for a bit?" I hesitantly ask the man as I force my eyes open, looking over him. He tilts his head, unsurprisingly, but he nods.

"Er, sure I guess, what do you want to know? I can't share everything, obviously." He replies with that friendly smile of his, it almost seems innocent, but it rubs me the wrong way. Yet just a few moments ago it was soothing, an odd back and forth feeling.

"Your last job, it was to 'eliminate' a Templar group wasn't it?" I continue to poke him verbally, keeping a close eye on his face, anything to see a hole in him.

"Yeah, my brother and I stalked the convoy for a while before striking, as is the way of an assassin." He replies with a nod, an almost proud smile on his face, I can imagine him reminiscing about it somewhat.

"That means you saw me with them then, and you know that I was at least _somewhat _working with them." I continue, it wasn't a question by any means, but the way he rustles slightly seems to show that he gets the jist of it. He's hiding something, I can feel it.

"Well, yeah, it was a surprise to see another race working with the Templars, we've only seen humans after all. What are you getting at?"

"If your job was to kill the Templars, why didn't you kill me? You certainly had the chance last time we met after all." I shoot my shot with what I hope to god is a level, my gaze boreing into his eyes. He shuffles again, rubbing the back of his neck with pursed lips. A part of me hopes that he isn't feeling too guilty over it, tsk, this situation makes me feel confused and like general garbage over it all. Am I too trusting? Too carefree, or am I the opposite?

"To be honest? I'm not entirely sure, but after meeting you personally for a bit, I just didn't feel like you were a Templar, at least not on the same level as the rest of them. I felt like you were just forced along with them, it certainly looked like it." _That _certainly piques my interest, an eyebrow raising alongside an ear. That's new information.

"What do you mean by that?" I inquire further, keeping an eye on him as he hums, scratching at his chin in thought.

"Well, as far as we gathered from looking, you didn't exactly respond to much, just dragged your feet along with them. Why do you ask anyways? You were _there_, weren't you?" He asks with a tilt of the head. Oh yeah, he doesn't know does he?

"Long story short, I'm an amnesiac, I'm building up bits and pieces from the fragmented memories I can pull together." I answer him, tapping at the side of my head. His mouth forms an 'o' shape, nodding quickly in response.

"Ah, that explains the questions then. Do you remember why you were being dragged along with them?" He asks again, here I was thinking that _I_ was meant to be asking questions, here I am though.

"No clue, whatever I do remember has nothing to do with that night." I answer again with a shake of my head.

"Tsk, that's a shame, I was gonna ask if you knew what you were doing there. You were pretty out of place, I feel bad about attacking you, but neither of us knew if you were a Templar or a slave…" He trails off with the twisting of his hands, an awkward smile on his face. I chuckle and shake my head again. Mabel shifts slightly into my side, a soft mumbling noise coming from her lips as I look over her. For someone who looks to be in deep sleep, I still feel jittery about waking her up.

"No, you were right to do so. You were right in general, actually." He hums in surprise, twisting his head.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I _am _a Templar, or was, I dunno if memory loss means I automatically quit, but there you go. Surprise." I reveal dryly, there's not much fanfare to it obviously, but he might as well know.

'Ah yes, revealing to an assassin whose job was to kill Templars that _we're _Templars is _very _smart.'

Shh brain. Zen looks like he's processing the information, a confused expression on his face.

"I, uh, that's a surprise. You were kinda isolated from the group that you were travelling with, so we thought you were an outcast of some kind."

"Mn, I can't imagine I was very popular with others. I wasn't very social, or kind, or anything positive really." I follow up as dryly as before, a sour taste on my tongue as I glare into the dirt. Tsk, whenever I think of that mess I always feel worse, I really should stop doing that. Makes me feel like an edgy bastard.

'You do sound like an edgy attention seeker, that much we can agree on.'

Thanks for the moral boost right there, it certainly feels nice.

"Hey, that just means you're not the same person from then to back now, right? A new start for a new you! You look like it drags you down a little bit, so you can't be focusing on that right?" The way he says that is so overly hopeful and positive, the smile on his face is a bright one in the otherwise black backdrop. I feel my lips curl upwards into a faint smile as I chuckle, nodding along with his words.

"Yeah, that's kinda how I've been thinking of it too! I want to be a better person than I was then, but I'm trying to remember bits and pieces along the way, just in case. So, uh, thanks for not killing me I guess? I appreciate it a little bit, being alive is pretty nice after all."

"No problem Zeke, just pray someone doesn't buy our services again." The mutual laughter shared between us is light despite the dark humour, a grin splitting my face as I look up to the sky. The feeling in my chest feels lighter, like a small weight was lifted from it, it was nice to see Zen again. I guess I consider him a friend of some kind, perhaps it's a bit too trusting, perhaps not.

"..Hey, how _did _you two go about taking the convoy down? Was it difficult?" I pipe up suddenly, looking over Zen. A strange expression falls on his face, an awkward smile appearing.

"Well, ah, it wasn't _exactly _difficult, just a bit strange and uncomfortable is all. Can we just leave it at that?" I raise an eyebrow, curiosity stirring in my chest as I stare into the man, humming as I do so.

"Cmon Zen, just a little tip?" I jokingly plead with the man, a mocking pout on my face as I do so. He coughs into a hand, his face burning a faint pink. Now that's definitely not an expression I expected, huh.

"Well, it involved a feral keidran, and I'm going to leave it at that." He says with a sense of finality, the man shifting awkwardly as he does so. A feral keidran huh? I think I can recall a topic like that in the keidran book I read at Erics, but nothing specific. I shrug and drop the topic, I don't expect to hear more from him. Poor keidran, though, to be reduced to a feral would be a fate I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Tsk, Zen wouldn't know much about what I'd be doing as a Templar, or exactly why I was being isolated, or anything _else _specific, all it's done is make me wonder _more_, more questions with no conceivable answer stirring around in my skull. Fantastic. I'd love to ask him if anyone stood out, but what purpose would that serve? Odds are they'd be faceless Templars to him, and it's not like anyone else might've survived. Anna would tell me so, wouldn't she?

'You'd best be kicking Zen from here sooner rather than later, you'll have to tag in Edward for his part of the night shift, and we can both imagine how he'd react to Zen.'

I hum and look upwards to the moon, it's long since past midnight now, I reckon that it's… around four to five in the morning? Judging time by the position of the moon seems finicky at best and a waste of time at worst. We've spent a lot of time chatting after all I guess, so it would be best to finish this up now.

"It's been nice to catch up with you again Zen, even if some topics were less than savoury, it might be best for you to get going now. My friend doesn't quite like keidrans after all, least of all one that looks like you, no offence." I speak up to the man, a soft frown on my face. Despite what needs to be done, I feel somewhat hollow about it, maybe it's a ploy by him, but he is rather nice to be around. He laughs softly and shakes his head, his friendly smile still plain on his face.

"It's no worries Zeke, I know how it goes, it's a part of the job after all." He says with a wave of his hand, hopping onto his feet silently and brushing himself down. I look down and nudge at Mabel, ever so softly, trying to rouse her from her sleep in a less abrupt manner than before. I'd carry her, but odds are she'd wake up anyways. She mumbles and shifts, her eyes slowly flickering open as she yawns, her hands rubbing at them softly.

"Hey kid, sorry to wake you, but we need to move. You'll get to sleep again soon, I promise." I say in a soft voice to her, rubbing a hand over her head. She remains silent, but nods along with my words, unwrapping herself from my cloak and stumbling to her feet. I smile softly as she does so, pushing myself up with a grunt, grabbing my shield from the dirt. I shoot a look to Zen, there's an odd expression on his face as he watches us, almost like he's reminiscing.

"Are you thinking about something?" I ask him, the question seems to jolt him from his thoughts, his lips pursing lightly as he shakes his head again.

"It's nothing too important, just memories is all." He responds, the smile he forces on his face seems disingenuous. I have an idea on what he's thinking about.

"Thinking about your brother?" I shoot a quick question to him. Unsurprisingly he nods, an almost wistful smile on his face. Thought so.

"Always am, Zeke, always am." His tone is as nostalgic sounding as the look on his face.

'Never thought an assassin would have such close ties to family, rather strange isn't it?'

"You two must be pretty close then, right?" He laughs, but it's a strangely hollow laugh, it betrays his normally optimistic attitude. His almost rueful looking smile doesn't help with that either.

"That's an understatement, he's what I got left." He says plainly, his head turning to the canopy. Suddenly, the way he acts kind of clicks. I remember the look of fear on his face when I last had my hands on Natani makes a bit more sense, I remember that even through the wrathful haze that clouded my mind back then.

'Wanting to wring their necks with your hands, one after the other was _also _a feeling you remember, you animal.'

"Just means you gotta stick together some more then, right?" I try to lighten the mood with a smile. It doesn't do much, but at least Zen seems to be a bit less sad. Sad wolf boy isn't very good at all.

"Yeah, he doesn't like it when I look out for him, but I'll do it anyways." He speaks, a shit eating grin on his face as he laughs softly. There we go, much better!

"That's the spirit, I figured you'd be the big brother figure to be honest." I follow up with a shrug and a smirk, resting a hand on Mabels head idly. It's strange how taken I am to doing that, but she doesn't seem to mind at least. There's a strange feeling in the air, at least to myself, I can't say for certain that Zen feels the same way.

"...Well, I guess that's it then, huh? You better scram, if you see me around, try to be _less _weird about trying to start a chat with me please? Less scaring the shit outta me please." He laughs again, his grin widening as he turns away, walking towards the woods.

"No promises, good luck." He says before leaping up into the trees, disappearing as suddenly as he appeared. I stand still for a few moments, ears trying to listen to the movements of the trees. Nope, nothing, gone like the wind. Fitting for an assassin I guess. I shrug and turn around myself, guiding the both of us towards the back of the wagons, it's Edwards shift now.

I hum tunelessly to myself as I wrap my knuckles against the wood of the wagon, ears twitching as a small scuffle comes from behind the flaps before it gives way entirely, Edward standing upright, it looks like he's slept in that armour of his. Doesn't seem comfortable to be honest.

"Your turn Edhead, I'm gonna get some bloody sleep in." I jab a finger towards the smoldering campfire, stifling a yawn from my throat as I yank myself away from the guardsman, dragging Mabel along the ride. Edward lands on the dirt with a grunt, stretching briefly before turning to face me.

"Seems to be, did anything happen while you were on guard?" He asks stiffly, a hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"Nope, everything went fine, no bumps in the night. Do you need anything? I'm fucking sleepy as hell." I reply, I can't stifle the yawn that forces itself from my throat that time sadly, covering it with the palm of my hand. Edward rolls his eyes, resting a hand on my shoulder as he brushes past me.

"Get some sleep, Fuzz." He says simple before leaving, the only sound in the night being the boots that thud against the dirt. I shrug and wrap an arm underneath Mabels arms, lifting her alongside myself as I dip into the wagon. I drop Mabel onto the unsteady wooden floor with a sigh, lazily resting against the wall with a slump.

"Any place you wanna sleep kid? Can't say there's much cushion around he-" I'm cut off from speaking as she flops onto my chest, grunting as she does so.

"Urk, you know there's other places to sleep, right kid?" I try to helpfully nudge her in a different direction, but she doesn't budge from me, mutely sliding herself to my side and wrapping my cloak around her in a makeshift blanket. Just as before it seems. I sigh to myself, a small smile on my face as I rustle the hair on her head, tugging my hood over my head and squeezing my eyes shut.

Sleep well kid, I'll try to get some sleep too.

'Weirdo.'

….

The cool inky black slides and slithers over my form, I can feel it wrap around my skull for a brief moment before dissipating, my eyes flickering open. The plain ceiling greets my view, the soft feel of a bed beneath my back and the lack of a smell from anywhere hits me, sighing as I press the back of my head against the soft pillow. Fantastic, back to the shitty dream room I guess.

I sigh and force myself upwards, sitting on the side of my bed and rubbing my hands over my face, resting my chin on a palm as I gaze over the room. Desk with journal, bookshelf, wardrobe, shitty carpet and mold everywhere, what a delightful view. I force myself onto my feet, taking a few unsteady steps as I move around the room idly, what's the purpose of being here to begin with? Can I even _attempt _to flicker through my memories again now? I know what happened last time after all, I had to smash my face to get out. I shiver and brush a hand over my cheek, I don't want to do that again.

I brush a hand over the plain spines of the books, an empty feeling in my chest as I look over them. Plain and unidentified, not that words would help me with it to begin with, my mind doesn't seem to want me to interact with them properly, so it won't happen. Maybe I could just go back to bed and sleep? Would that work? I hum to myself and turn back, laying back on the bed and looking up to the ceiling.

...No, that's not gonna work either, despite how comfy this bed feels, I can't go to sleep in here when I'm already, well, _sleeping_. Unless I can dream of sleep, would that be comfortable? Pfah, fucking worthless dream, I am tempted to smash my face open again to get out of here. Or, should I wait till it's over? Does time in this place pass into the real world too? How would that work? Would it work to begin with?

_Knock, knock_

My body freezes as my blood runs cold, the knocking reverberating throughout the silence of the room, my head stiffly turning to face the source of the noise. The desk, there's a knocking from the desk, why? The knocking thunders against my ears once more, a nervous feel of energy running through my veins as I bolt upright, cautiously stepping towards the source. Is, is there someone on the inky depths of the cabinet? Does that make sense? Does that _work_? I shudder it knocks again, louder this time, spine tingling as I stand in front of the desk. I look around, but there's nothing to look at, not right now at least. Should I open it?

I force down the building spittle in my mouth as my jaw stiffens, reaching down with tentative hands to the handle of the cabinet. Didn't I break this? Was it reformed or something? The knockings stopped, but there's still an uneasy feeling around the thing.

Actually, you know what? Fuck this place, fuck this dream, and fuck this desk too. I grip the handle and yank it open with a grunt, the familiar black sludge seeping out of the thing as it flies open, stepping back from it. The wisps of black dissipate in the air, as per usual, I cross my arms and stare down at the pitch black.

"Well? Are you gonna do something?" I cross my arms and glare into the pitch black. The room's silent, and the black settles for a brief moment. Despite the calm in the room, the hairs on the back of my head stands upright.

Oh shit.

I yelp and leap away from the cabinet, hands reaching out and griping the sides of the thing, the black sludge dripping off of itself and onto the floor, staining briefly before sizzling and disappearing into the air.

Oh SHIT

I feel my breath shorten as I stare at the thing, my gaping mouth opening and closing, I can't tear my eyes from the scene. My hands shake, unsteady legs finally stepping away from the thing as the desk itself shudders, as if groaning while it pushes itself upwards. It pushes itself out of the desk, an amorphous formless blob of darkness dripping itself onto the carpet, its hands and arms twitching occasionally as it shudders. The cold fear that grips my heart only strengthens its hold as I force down a gulp, taking another step away from the monstrous unknown being. It shudders again, pulsating for a few moments before the sludge it's made of seems to tremble and waver, folding in on itself again and again and again. My vision blurs as my eyes remain glued to the thing, I can't tear myself away from it as much as I try to. It continues its folding and morphing, shuddering once more before it glows a bright white. Feeling returns to me as I shield my eyes from the bright light, blinking repeatedly to force away the spots in my sight, though it does little.

A translucent and glassy looking thing stands where the dark sludgy blob once was, it takes in a deep breath and sighs, its eyes flickering open and staring straight into me. Despite the see through nature of it, the things eyes glow a deep blue, genuinely _glowing _in the dull pits of the room. What looks like a glass mockery of fur fur rolls over its body, colourless in nature, short all around and with a tuft of hair on his chest. Ragged and unkempt hair sits atop its head, its left eye occasionally obscured by its fringe as it shakes its head, rolling its arm around.

"Jesus fucking Christ, you have _no _idea how uncomfortable that place was, being both everywhere inside it while also being a speck is _not _a feeling I recommend." It says bluntly and casually, a soft but oddly deep voice coming from the thing, letting out a satisfied groan after a while. I blink and stare with a gaping mouth, arms raised up in front of me somewhat, partially in defense. The thing hums and floats, _floats_, over to me tilting its head while placing it in front of me.

"Hm, this is a pretty odd feeling if I'm gonna be blunt, mostly to just be moving, but seeing you from this angle is fucking weird as hell." It-_he_, that's definitely a male voice, speaks just as casually as before. I shake my head clear and dryly cough into a hand, the nerves inside of me screaming.

"I, who the fuck are you?" I ask him pointedly as I jab a finger to him. He holds a hand to his chest as he gasps, a mocking and coy grin on his face as he looks down to me.

"Aw, you don't recognise _me_? Why don't you take a closer look, Zeke?" He replies cryptically as he lowers himself again, standing face to face with his arms crossed. I blink, the gears in my head turning, unbridled confusion filling my chest, along with an unwilling recognition.

"Ah, the light that flickers in your eyes shows that your nerves aren't _that_ deadened in here." He chides with another chuckle, floating back upward leisurely.

"N-no, no _fucking _way." I force the words out of my throat, a headache pulsing through my skull, grunting and squeezing at it with a hand. He lets out a long winded laugh, it echoes throughout the room and my ears, a cold sneer on his ghostly lips as he stares down to me.

"It's about bloody time you realised. Seriously though, you _fucking waste of skin_, you've looked into a mirror plenty of times, haven't you~?"

**Authors note: I'm sorry if the quality of some parts of this chapter is below average, my minds a bit muddled due to personal events. Have a good day though, reader. **


	33. Chapter 33

I clutch at my skull as it throbs again, backing away from the spectral doppelgänger, pressing my back against the locked wardrobe. The chains press against my fur as the ghost releases an amused snicker, the sneer still staining his face as he remains floating in the air before twisting himself into a lying position, as if resting on a bed.

"By the fucking gods. That's it, I've fucking lost my mind, I'm stuck in my own fucked up dream room with a ghost version of myself." I feel my teeth clench and chatter as I speak, a shiver running down my spine as I rub a hand against my face. The pulsing fades at least, a small but short laugh escaping my throat as I stare at the ghost. The fucking absurdity of all this is getting to me, my head feels light headed and my body numb, is this actually real? Is this a sign from something, from someone? From myself? The ghost snickers again and drifts closer to me, it almost looks like he's doing it lazily with how loose his movements seem to be.

"Come on Zekey boy, this isn't _that _shocking, right? We're in a fucked up land of magic and other tomfuckery, you got the memories of _two _people, and you ain't even a _human _anymore, and that ain't even half of it! Come on little buddy, I'm sure you can handle this." He mockingly coos as he lifts a hand, pressing it down onto my head, his lips curling further upwards. I flinch as his hand phases through my body, a shivering sensation encompassing my skull before I slap at his hand. It phases though him, as expected, another cold feeling surrounding my arm as we 'connect', his arm fading for a brief few moments with ghostly wisps, though it tugs itself together swiftly afterwards. He pulls his hands away and tuts, a faux disappointed pout on his face.

"Now now, that's not very nice is it? Hasn't your mother ever told you to be nice to yourself every now and then? Jeez, you really should calm down~" His pouting facade fades as he crows with a mocking delight, resting his chin on his hands, eyes squinting as he stares into me with that disgusting smile. Heat flares in my chest as I grit my teeth, clenching my hands as I return his stare with a glare of my own. This mother fucker.

"What the _fuck _are you meant to be? Some fucked up figment of my imagination to fuck with me or some shit?" I asked with a heated tone, a snarl on my lips as I cross my arms, edging away from the specter with an anxious stare. He pouts again mockingly, huffing as he lowers himself, ever closer to eye level.

"So serious when you don't need to be, and so gung-ho when I give you advice, this is such a thankless job! You already know what I am, we both know that." He answers with that fucking mocking tone of his, doesn't help that he answers that like a cryptic bastard.

"Why don't you enlighten me then, if it's already knowledge we know." I snap back with a sneer, tilting my head upwards, ears flattening against my neck. The spectre sighs, almost disappointedly so, rightening himself midair and stepping onto the carpet. Standing upright and staring at me, a proud smile on his face as he mimics me, crossing his arms. He looks exactly like me, a ghostly carbon copy of myself, it's off putting to see myself from another angle, especially when the dude that's mimicking me is a prick.

"Jesus, if you're really _that _dull, then I guess I can hand the answers to you on a silver platter," He says flatly, coughing into a hand shand stepping away from me, leaning into an over the top and theatrical bow before standing upright. "My name's Zeke, the same as yours, I'm your thought given form. I'd say 'at your service' to fuck with you, but I'd rather call you an idiot."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, letting out a long suffering exhale through it as I squeeze my eyes shut. One, two, three. I inhale air while I open my eyes, staring at the duplicate. A faint part of me was begging for this to be a genuine figment of my imagination created to mess with me, but here I am sadly.

"That's, okay, _you're _not Zeke, I don't give a fuck that you're wearing my face. I am _me_, and nobody else. Is this some sort of sick fucking joke?" I say in a low voice to the figure, furrowing my brows as cackles, a short heated laugh, very likely at _my _expense.

"No no, you seem to misunderstand you _dunce_, I'm not 'wearing your face' or whatever you think I am, I _am _you. When I say 'thought given form', I _mean _those words in a rather literal way. I'm those little thoughts in your head that helped you aaaaaall this time, for whatever reason, I've managed to squeeze myself out of the corners of your mind into an _actual _form. It's pretty liberating! Other than not being able to breath or smell or anything, it's still fun, I always wondered what the fuss was about." He replies an… odd tone to say the least, almost as if his mind was sidetracked half way through his explanation, a voice mixed between chiding, informative and wondrous. His glowing eyes tear themselves from me to his hand as he raises it, tilting his head in a bemused manner. I tap my fingers against my arm, coughing into a hand to get his attention. He seems surprised as I pull him to attention, shaking his head.

"Pfah, sadly, being _you _means I come with your dumb little quirks. It has its ups and downs after all." He finishes with a shrug, leaning back with his hands behind his head, a smug smirk on his lips. My mind feels foggy as I massage the bridge of my nose, the gears in my head turning to process this fucking _mess_.

"You're the voice I've been chatting to lately? The whole 'arguing with myself' thing that I've been doing?" I ask to clarify, sighing thankfully as he nods, at least I got something right about this. A feeling of confusion and apprehension stirs within my chest, eyes shifting up and down at the ghost, another problem to throw onto the fucking pile I guess.

"You finally got it, good job! That wasn't so hard, was it? Seriously though, it shouldn't have been _that _hard to understand, then again, you _do _have a pretty small head," He answers with a snigger, the smirk on his face flashing his teeth as he looks around the room, whistling lightly as he does so. "Also, this place is a fucking mess, it suits you!"

I clench my jaw as I feel a vein in my forehead pulsate, clenching and unclenching my hand as I take in a sharp intake of air, slowly exhaling afterwards. One, two, three, you can't exactly punch the fucker.

"So _why _are you here? Why now? Where did you come from exactly? How the fuck are you able to _create_ a body for yourself?" I continue to ask the ghostly being, my eye twitching as he nonchalantly shrugs. He hums tunelessly as he floats away, peering into the bookshelf for a moment, his eyes squinting as his hands pass through the spines.

"Eh, fuck if I know, I don't really have a proper answer to any of that. I come from you, and I'll return to you, there ain't a way that'll change unless your mind explodes. Speaking of mind exploding, I'm gonna blame magic, cause you keep wanting to stick your metaphorical dick in it and it's probably gonna get us _killed_. Not that you seem to care, but I do, I'm _stuck _with your shitty choices, it's awful!" He rants and raves in an excessively shrill tone, my head throbs with pain once again as I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"I'd greatly appreciate less complaining and more answers if I'm gonna be honest, unless that's just too much work for you." I say dryly, sarcasm dripping off of my tongue as I keep a keen eye on the ghost. He shrugs again, looking at me and jabbing a thumb towards the desk.

"Hey, I woke up surrounded and lathered with black goo shit in a place that was both suffocating and infinitely expanding, after beating my hands against whatever the fuck was around me, _you _let me outta there. Im grateful for that, cause it fucking _sucked _in there, and I really don't have an answer for you, none that actually works anyways. It _did _properly start when you woke up in that tower, and it's only escalated since then, so magic probably has a hand in it. Also, you punching yourself fucking hurt, can you _not _do that again you dunce?" Thankfully, that's an actual answer of some kind, though he says it with a huff, hastily floating himself back to me and attempting to flick at my nose. It pases through my body, my nose crinkling as an uncomfortably cold feeling shoots through it, leaning away from the spectre.

"Hey, I ran outta ideas, and it worked at least. Hurt like a bitch, but the entire events _and _the aftermath hurt. Don't touch me though, shit fucking feels weird," I scold the prick, grimacing as he lets out a short cackling noise, swiping as his hand as he brings it down once again, his arm disappearing for a few moments on contact. It feels less cold at least, and it makes him huffy, so it's worth something even if it's menial.

"Tsk tsk, so touchy!" He chides again, a shit eating grin on his face, floating side to side aimlessly.

"Cut the shit, ghosty. What do we do with all this shit now, then?" I whiff another swing into an incoming touch, hair on the back of my neck raising as he cackles again, still keeping an arm up at the ready even as he clasps his hands behind his back. It's strange to be able to see his hands through himself, forcing myself to look upwards and into his glowing orbs. "And what the fuck, why don't you have _clothes _on? At least have fucking _pants._"

"Really? You notice the clothes part _now _of all times? It's not like it ain't something you havent seen before, there isn't anything _there _to begin with, I'm a fucking figment of your imagination dammit." He rants again, letting out an aggravated sigh as he rubs a hand against his face. So, he can physically touch himself huh? An odd exemption to him phasing through other things, but I guess that comes with being a ghost.

"Anyways, while I normally do have a plan for things, there isn't exactly much that we can do now. It was nice to get out for a bit." He continues on with a shrug, resting his hands behind his head once again. I hum and rub a hand on my chin, an eyebrow raised as I look over him.

"So, that's it then? It feels kinda anti climactic I guess." I say awkwardly, rubbing at the back of my neck.

"Eh, what do you want me to do about it? There's not much we can do in _your _dream, dumbass. I can always insult you at least, there's that." He says cheerfully, a sly grin on his face as he hovers, just out of reach. I sigh and rub at my temple, Jesus Christ, meeting this asshole is genuinely fucking infuriating.

"I immediately detest you, asshole." I say flatly, vein pulsing once again as he snickers.

"I know! I can feel what you feel dumbass, it's _hilarious_, you shat yourself when I popped outta the cabinet." I give the fuckwit a disdainful sneer as he throws his head back, laughter echoing throughout the room and my ears again. I feel my ears flatten against my neck, at least his laughter's short.

"Fantastic, to be honest I expected more from meeting myself of all things but no, you're just the annoying voice in the depths of my head, a parasite leeching off of myself, as per usual." He has a smirk still on his face as he shrugs, hands on the back of his head again.

"Eh, it's a thankless job. Besides, you did ask for this, whether you want to remember or not." Oddly enough, his tone of voice is surprisingly sombre and serious, a stark contrast from his normal cockiness. The moment fades quickly, shit eating grin plastered back onto his face. For some reason, I don't expect him to delve further into the issue.

"..You're not gonna like, try to take over my body or something right?" I tentatively ask the spirit, muscles tensing in preparation. His face contorts into a confused expression, his nose wrinkling as he leans away from me.

"Wha? Fuck no, you dumb ass, I have no actual interest in actually controlling this body of ours. Again, I'm just a voice in your head, nothing more and nothing less." He answers bluntly, a small frown appearing on his face for a few moments, disappearing into the void yet again.

"So, nothings changed then? You just decided to appear to scare the shit outta me?"

"More or less." The air feels stiff as the conversation abruptly, leaning back into the chained wardrobe as the ghost humming as he idly floats around, peering in and around the desk, though he edges away from the cabinet section, the dark still seeping out from it. I push myself off of the wardrobe and slowly approach the ghost, standing beside him, a small hum coming from him as I lift a foot.

"You need a name." I declare as I boot the cabinet shut, the steel shuddering as it grinds against itself, but it remains closed afterwards.

"Eh? Whatdaya mean dunce? My names Ze-"

"It'll just, be easier for me to understand and process all of this. Can we just do this for right now at least, please?" I cut the ghost off with a low tone as I look up to him. He doesn't respond immediately, an eyebrow raised as we stare at one another.

"Pfeh, whatever, it's not like I can convince you otherwise. Do you have any ideas for a name then? Don't try to pass me off as your alter ego or anything, Jekyll." He finally responds, sarcasm on his tongue as he shrugs, placing his fists on his hips. I raise an eyebrow as I look to the ghost, Jekyll? I can't say that I know anyone with that name, or remember them anyways, is that meant to be a joke of some kind? I shrug myself, rubbing a hand against my chin, using the other to rest on the molded desk as I hum.

"Can't say I do, actually. You're meant to be some deep seated part of my brain or something right? Why can't you think of a name for yourself?"

"Hey, don't pass off what _you _wanna do onto me, you lazy fuck. You're the one with the brain after all." I grimace and shiver as he taps at my skull with an ethereal finger, passing through my body once again. Annoying prick, like a chilly biting gnat that seems to thrive off of irritating me.

"There's nothing wrong with asking yourself for an answer, right?"

"Bah, why do you want to give me a name anyways? It's pretty pointless, it's gonna have something to do with your '_friends'_, isn't it?" He accuses with a low tone, an eyebrow raised as he looks down on me.

"I told you, it'll be easier for me. The fact that it might be easier to explain to them is the cherry on top of the fucked up cake." I respond with a shrug. His face turns into a sneer, a long suffering groan coming from his throat as he mashes his hands against his face, somehow the groan is muffled from it. How does that work?

"Are you fucking kidding me Zeke? Do you have any idea on how much of a nut job that makes you sound? 'Hey guys, all the times I've been talking to myself I've been _actually _talking to a ghost version of myself thats probably been brought to life from magical bullshit, just thought I'd let you know!' No sense of self shame or preservation, I swear to fuck, sharing a body with you is gonna kill me from stress before someone jabs a sword in your gut." More ranting from the dude, seems to be a common theme, did I always beat myself up so much?

"You don't exactly seem on board with the idea, other me." I comment idly as he finishes himself, hearing another soft and muffled groan from behind his hands.

"No _shit_. The fact that you can't feel how _I_ feel, yet I'm stuck latched onto you emotionally is fucking aggravating." I feel him glaring at me as I snicker, it's surprisingly enjoyable to fuck with the snide, more prickish part of myself. Fairly sure that's not something I'm meant to be feeling to begin with, I'll deal with it later.

"Hey, we're stuck with each other, so let's try to get along. Please?" I plead with him as I hold out a hand, one for a tentative friendship for now at least. He eyes my hand with a stare, sighing and clasping at it. Or, trying to anyways, his hand phases through mine, but I get the intent at least.

"No promises, but I gotta look after you in some way. I do die with you sadly, so we might as well _try _to help one another, I'm still gonna call you a fucking idiot obviously..." He seems begrudging, but the feeling of his lingering sentence doesn't seem _entirely _spiteful

"Fantastic, it's progress. So, a name for you right? I still dunno what to call you." I put up my hands with a shrug, another sigh from him is a delightful displeasure.

"..Adrian." He says in a soft and flat tone, looking down and away for a moment.

"Adrian?" I semi-ask as I raise an eyebrow to the ghost. Where's that name coming from?

"It was the second name you'd have thought of before settling on Zeke, and the only name that I can recall from the mess that is your head, so we might as well settle for that. Seriously, it's pretty fucking pointless, but I _guess _I'll roll with it." He answers briskly with a shrug, lips pursed together as he returns eye contact.

"Adrian's a pretty nice name, maybe I have some talent for thinking of good names?" I jokingly ask with a grin, resting a hand on my chin.

"Don't go stroking your dick that much, dumb fuck." He cuts in with a scoff, rolling his eyes as I chuckle. Ever so quick to attempt to dash my good will, huh? Thanks

"So, you're gonna be Adrian from here on out then?"

"I guess so, I don't want you to pitch a hissy fit over it for no bloody reason , so I'll roll with it. You _are _the one that pushed for it after all"

"And _you're _the one that thought of the name itself, aren't we both at fault?"

"This job sucks ass, I wanna hand in my resignation notice."

"Speaking of your job, I assume that we are just gonna be as normal then, right? You help me out, give me advice and warnings, that type of stuff?" I ask the gho- Adrian, I ask _Adrian_ idly, pushing myself onto the desk. It creeks with my weight, but it remains steady despite it, at least enough to not cause worry. I hum to myself as I rest my elbows on my knees, the desk creaking again as I lean forward mid thought. Adrian, Adrian, gotta remember his name.

"Yup yup, more or less anyways. Depending on how much of a dumbass you are, I might toss in a few 'choice words' to get your ass moving." He answers in a snide tone, a smug grin on his face as he floats in front of me. He mimics me once again, from the slouch to his elbows digging into his knees. I raise an eyebrow, he raises his. I hold up a hand, he holds up his, wiggling his fingers as I do mine.

"Do you mind?" I hiss heatedly to him, furrowing my brows as I stare at him through half lidded eyes. My ears twitches and lays flat against my neck as he cackles again, a shrill laugh that rings in my ears, _again_. Jesus Christ, I hope we don't share a laugh.

"By the masks it's so _easy _to get under your skin, it's fantastic." He says shamelessly, grin on his face as he leans backwards into what I _guess _is meant to be a relaxing position. Can't imagine that he feels much.

"Tsk, fuck you too Adrian. I uh, don't suppose you have an idea on how to get outta here, right?" I ask him with an awkward smile, rubbing at the back of my neck.

"Of course not, dumbass, the only way I know how is to get you to read into our memories, and as much as I'd love to get you outta here so I can have my own space, I don't think we can force it to happen." He answers with a cough and a shrug, following his gaze to the bookcase. I purse my lips together as I stare at it, I certainly don't _feel _anything, and I can't _force _it to happen, I've tried as much before. I hum and lean my head into a hand, raising a hand and watching my fingers curl with intent, switching from looking at my curling fist and Adrian with a raised eyebrow. He initially blanches before his expression turns into a grimace, raising a hand and jabbing a finger into my face.

"No, no punching, you fucking _idiot_. Why the fuck are you so keen on _physically _hitting yourself? Is it cause I already cover the mental blows? Are you just a masochist or some shit?" He spits out another rant, a clear distaste dripping off of his tongue. A mirthful feeling stirs in my chest as I laugh aloud, Adrians glare only intensifying the laughter, he huffs solemnly and crosses his arm, turning his nose upwards and away. It's a sight I'd expect from a priss, to be honest. I hum to myself and return my gaze to my fingers. Hmm.

I reach up and grab a hunk of my cheek between my thumb and a finger, roughly squeezing at it. A solid pain thrums from the squeeze itself, but nothing beyond that, I didn't think it'd wake me up, but pinching yourself awake seems worth a shot at least. Adrians yelp catches my attention, humming in surprise as he rubs a hand against his cheek, mirroring the one I've just pinched, a frown on his face

"Are you purposefully being dense or some shit? Dumb mother fucker." He chides me with a low tone, grumbling afterwards as he tends to his cheek, I assume that's in an attempt to soothe the pain. Pfah, it wasn't that painful, he seems kinda soft.

"Worth a shot, pinching yourself to wake up from a dream and all that jazz." I comment with a shrug, resting my hands on the molded desk. Despite the way it looks, it feels _mostly _normal, just that little bit off.

"Thats, fucking dumb. Pinching yourself is meant to check if it's a drea- You know what? Fuck you." He cuts himself off with a heated huff, a grumpy look on his face as he crosses his arms, cutting himself off of the conversation by drifting away. I keep a close eye on him as he inspects the bed, his hands passing through the soft quilt, a gentle dismayed sigh coming from him

He's very… Strange, I guess is the word to use. Here I thought that he'd be a malicious being, something I'd have to actually fight, especially with how ominous he introduced himself. I shift slightly as he attempts to lay on the bed, in reality, he floats just above the sheets, glowing blue eyes staring into the ceiling for a few moments before shutting. Well, it'd be a lie to say he doesn't have _some _malice in him, though it's merely verbal more than anything, and he's rather adverse to physical pain. There's something about him, something I don't feel entirely comfortable with just chalking it up to as merely mental 'tomfuckery', as Adrian so aptly used the word. Would it be wise to try to separate him from myself? He's meant to be a part of me, right? Is trying to make him his own person in my mind foolish? Perhaps that's what he meant by the 'Jekyll' thing? Pfah, what a mess, fuck this scene, and fuck this room too.

The ground shakes suddenly, the desk shaking and screeching below me with an unsettling noise, I push myself off of the thing and look around the room. The unsteady ground beneath me trembles, my legs shaking with the motion, heartbeat pulsing faster as I look around the room. A black _thing _drops down from in front of me, splatting and staining the floor below, looking up to see the ceiling smothered with a sticky, overly thickened almost liquid, it looks like something akin to tar, a disgusting stench invading my nose as another smattering of it drops down. I step out of the way from it, narrowly dodging it, an uncomfortable heat from the thing as it brushes past.

"Huh, that's something." Adrian says casually as he appears next to me, a bored expression on his face. It morphs into an irked one as the tar drips onto his head, grumbling and brushing a hand through it, flicking it away afterwards. _That _touched him? What the fuck?

"What the fuck's going on Adrian?" I demand an answer from the ghost, yelping as a decent helping of the sludge falls onto my arm, shoving it off with a spare hand. The tar feels thick and messy, it almost feels like it melds into my hand before I whisk it away with more than a few rough flickers.

"Eh, dreams collapsing, you're probably gonna wake up real soon, you might wanna calm down a bit." He answers with a continued bored expression, letting out an annoyed sigh as his heads dragged down, more tar related fuckery.

I open my mouth to yell at the man, but something heavy slams on the top of my skull, encasing my vision and throat with the viscous almost-liquid, I eek out a smothered gurgle from my throat, the tar seeping into my ears-

….

My body lurches forward instinctively, a ravaging cough spewing from my mouth as I rush to cover it, my vision blurred as a dusty smell rushes up my nose. I squeeze my eyes shut as my throat clenches, an uncontrollable hacking forcing itself through my neck. It resides eventually, gasping for air and rubbing at my head, wiping away the beads of sweat thats formed from it, Jesus Christ. I reopen my eyes and look around, gaze falling onto the shivering form of Mabel. Wha? What's going on?

"Are you okay kid?" I croak out, another cough pushing itself through my lips, letting out an aggravated groan as I wipe the spittle away. Tsk, what a fucking mess. Mabel mumbles something, my ears twitching slightly.

"..I was worried." She finally says, scooting a tad closer and looking up to me, she seems a little bit jumpy, and her lips are formed into an anxious frown.

"Worried? What happened kid?" I ask her softly with a tilt of the head, wiping my hand on myself before planting it on her head, ruffling gently. She sniffles lightly, pushing against my hand for a moment as she wipes at her eyes, golden flickering orbs that seem to gaze _into _me. A disturbed chill runs up my spine, though I try to brush it off with the shake of my head. Whenever I see her eyes, I feel like I'm being rightfully judged, my heart beats nervously.

"You were cold, and you were saying things, I just…" She trails off and sniffles again, rubbing at her eyes again. I wince as my chest clenches, fuck, she was really worried about me huh?

"Aw, fuck, c'mere kid." I unravel the front knot of my cloak with a spare hand, shifting myself in front of her in a kneeling position, trying my ebay to wrap it around her neck. She tilts her head with a confused trilling, pursing my lips together as I focus on fixing up the cloak, tying the knot together once again. I fumble for a bit before pulling away from her, looking up and down at the outfit. It's far too big for her, it looks so awkward around her neck, hanging off of her shoulders and dragging against the ground. She shifts around with it on her, a confused look in her eyes. I smile and ruffle her hair once again, keeping eye contact.

"You don't need to worry about me, I'm the one that promised to look after you after all, okay kid? I'll be fine, I promise that too." I say with what I hope to sound like a resolute tone, keep that eye contact Zeke. She still looks confused, but there's a spark behind her normally anxious eyes, shifting and mumbling to herself as she steps from foot to foot. It looks like she's torn between something, poor kid.

"..Okay." She says after a while, her voice wavering slightly as she sniffs again. I open my mouth to speak, but her running into my chest cuts me off, it almost feels like she's headbutted me to be honest. I smile anyways, wrapping my arms around her body and squeezing lightly.

"You gonna be okay kid?" I ask her quietly, smiling as she responds with a hum, her head nodding into my chest.

'**Pfah, you're fucking weird for doing this with a kid you don't know, but you wouldn't listen to me anyways'**

I _almost _jump, a cold feeling of surprise running through my veins as my throat hitches, but I swallow it down.

Good morning to you too, Adrian, thanks for the heads up.

'**No problem, waste of skin.'**

...Why do you sound different? Well, not _different _different, but definitely not the same, if that makes sense.

'**Why the fuck do you think I'd know? I'm just the voice in your head, dumb ass, it might have something to do with you 'meeting' me I guess."**

Hm, maybe? I don't think it really matters. I shrug and pull myself away from Mabel, ruffling her hair once more.

"I'm gonna get up and check on Edward, okay kid? Go through my bag for some food if you need it." She pouts and whines slightly, though those whines turn into mumblings as I give her a final headpat. I push open the wagon flaps, twisting my head and giving her another smile before leaping out of it. I grunt as I land onto the dirt, brushing myself off and stretching, bones cracking as I do so.

It'll be another day to go through, won't it Adrian?

'**I'd say I hope you perish slowly, but I don't want to go back into the inbetween void again, it's not a pleasant place after all.'**

That's the spirit.


	34. Chapter 34

"You're up a bit early, fuzz." An ear twitches as Edward speaks, a half hearted smirk appearing on his face as I sit opposite to him. "Didn't sleep well?"

"Mn, If I'm gonna be honest, it wasn't the best sleep. I already miss beds." I reply with a grumble as I rub at my eyes, rubbing the lingering sleep away from it as he chuckles.

"We are gonna be on the roads for the next few days, so you best get used to it. We'll reach Dartwood within a timely manner, I'll report to Uncle, and our mission will be completed." He continues to speak in a mostly informative tone, though his mind seems to be partially elsewhere, his eyes idly lingering on the fire pit between us. The woods long since burnt out, nothing more than the ashen remains left.

"I know, I know." I say flatly, biting the inside of my cheek as the conversation dies down between us. We'll split up after Dartwood, won't we? I can't drag him away from his work… Pfah, I'd love to say I can deal with it later, but that 'later' is coming up pretty soon. I hum to myself as I examine Edward a little bit, he's displaced his armour set, bits and pieces spread out beside him, glistening and shining in the early morning sun. It looks like he's taken it off to properly wash it, makes sense, seeing him dressed in his street threads is rather unlike him is all. It surprised me a little bit.

'**He looks rather distracted.'**

I realised, his mind really _is _elsewhere at the moment, his eyes nowhere near as attentive and alert as what I normally recall. That's, kinda odd, what's up with him?

'**Jesus Christ, you really are dense, aren't you?'**

I purse my lips with a mostly suppressed hum, fingertips twitching. I'm aware that I'm a little… slow, lets just say that, your commentary is _always _welcome, isn't it Adrian? Is the answer something overly obvious?

'**Bingo, good going dunce. **_**Ask **_**him what's wrong, dumbfuck.'**

I was _going _to, thank you very much, just thinking up the words. I don't wanna fuck things up again, ich, that'd be a mess.

"Hey, Edhead, you feeling okay?" I ask with a frown on my face, shuffling and leaning forward as I look over him. He hums in surprise, eyes darting from the pit to my face, an eyebrow raised.

"Mrn? I'm feeling just fine, Fuzz." He answers monotonously, slouching forward, elbows resting against his knees.

'**He's as good at lying as you are, it's impressive that you both manage to be completely inept.'**

"Come on bud, you can share with me~" I rest my chin in a palm as I trail myself off, rocking myself forward as I stare at him with a wide grin. His eye twitches, rubbing at his face almost aggressively with a palm.

"Fuzz, I'm fine."

"Cmon famalam, I won't tell a soul."

"_Don't_ call me famalam."

"I won't if you tell me." I linger on the final word with a smug smile, snickering as Edward exhales an aggravated groan, of which turns into a throttled sigh afterwards. He purses his lips together, his body in an awkward manner as his fingertips taps against his legs. My frown deepens as I tilt my head, a genuine worry stirring in my chest. I know he's not the most expressive person, or the most social one, but this is uncharacteristically reserved of him, he looks so _meek _right now, it's awful.

"Hey, dude, I'm just kidding, mostly anyways. You just seem a little off is all, and I'm worried about you, but I won't force you to talk if you really don't want to." I quickly tack onto the conversation, holding my hands up in a surrendering manner, backtracking my bluntness. I remember what happened last time I pushed too hard, and if he's put off this much by whatever's on his mind, then I won't pry. He sighs again, a solemn and somewhat reserved sigh this time around, a hand reaching up and rubbing against the back of his neck.

"I know, just… Maybe another time Zeke, maybe another time." He finally says, his tone as awkward as his posture, puffing out a defeated exhale. I hum and twist my lips, tapping my fingers against my chin. Him using my name in such a tone is really off putting, it's unnatural, what could get his mind off of himself, I wonder…

'**Why don't you punch each other in the face? You barbarians seem to enjoy doing **_**that **_**a bit too much.'**

That _was _a rhetorical question, Adrian, but you get bonus points for answering correctly!

'**God FUCKING dammit.'**

"Hey, hey Edhead." I pipe up quickly to get his attention, a wide grin forming on my face as I stand upright, rolling my shoulders and stretching as he raises his eyebrow.

"What?"

"Get off of your ass, we're gonna spar." I metaphorically throw down the gauntlet to the man, resting a hand on the hilt of my sword. He seems surprised, but the corner of his lips twitches upwards, grunting as he stands upright himself. Fucking score!

'**Wild fucking, primitive bastards, the both of you, you're both idiotic bastards.'**

"You know what? I'll take you up on that offer, are we to spar like beforehand?" He finally _verbally _replies, the ghost of a smile still on his face. At least I know what'd get him out of his grump. I hesitate for a moment, my smile widening as my hand continues to grip at my hilt. I know _just _how to spice the spar up, and it'd help keep me on my toes.

'**Don't you fucking dare-'**

"Sword fight, first to draw blood? Or first to surrender, either or, I don't mind." Edward seems surprised, but also impressed, the guardsman chuckling softly as he grabs at his hilt.

"I'm surprised you'd offer, but I'll take you up on it, let's move to a less occupied area though."He nudges his head away from the campfire, stepping towards a flattened field. A feeling of glee floats in my chest, a sense of excitement running through my veins as I follow after him.

'**You're hopeless, are you fucking kidding me? God fucking dammit, you're doing this to spite me aren't you? You fucking bastard!'**

I stop in my tracks amidst Adrians rambling, humming and tugging at the hem of my shirt, the uncomfortable chain mails was put away in my bag for the past while, and I think I've left my shield in the wagon. This is the only piece of clothing I have to be honest, and it'd be a shame to make its stench even worse...

'**You've no idea how much I detest your very existence, Zeke.'**

I shrug and yank at the bottom of my shirt, pulling it up and over my head and tossing it onto a nearby rock along with my gloves, shivering as the cold morning air thuds against my chest and wraps around my hands, hastily walking to catch up with Edward, can't be losing too much time after all. He finally turns to me after a while, catching his own sentence as he looks up and down to me, eyebrow still thoroughly raised.

"...Where's your shirt gone? _Why _is it gone?" He asks simply, the question itself getting a chuckle outta me. Not entirely sure why, but his confused face is _hilarious_.

'**I bet that keys dangling in front of you is funny too, you ape.'**

"I only got one pair of clothes, and I don't wanna sweat up the shirt too much. It might already stink, but it's the thought behind it." I answer with a shrug, a grin still on my face as I draw my sword, gripping it tightly as I jab the tip towards him before letting it hang closer to my side, knees bending and bobbing ever so slightly. He still seems confused, but he shrugs himself, content enough with the answer to draw his own blade. He holds the tip towards my chest, his eyes squinting as his breathing slows, he looks a lot calmer now despite the threat of a fight. Good! That's good, I want him to be more comfortable and stuff, the fact that my vein ignites with the thrill of a friendly fight is just the cherry on top.

'**Think whatever you want to think, savage'**

Pfah, you can be a mood killer all you want, I'm gonna have my fun! My lips curl into a wide grin, the muscles in my legs tensing before pushing myself forward, rushing down Edward. Steel meets steel with a thunderous clanging, my sword slamming down onto the broad of his blade with a downward swing, a grunt puffing through his lips as his hands tremble. My grin widens as he furrows his brow, grunting again as my blade slides closer to his hilt, forcing the both of our swords upwards with a rough shove, I force myself to quickly stumble backwards to move away from his own downward swing. I bring my sword down to earth and lunge forwards with a wide swing against his side, his hands clenching around the hilt of his weapon to block the strike once again. My chest throbs with a sudden pain, the slugging of his foot against my chest dulled from the rush of blood and _excitement _that floods my veins, stumbling and leaning backwards, just barely dodging the swipe of his tip. I can almost _feel _the tipper of his sword brush past my nose, the grin on my face almost hurts from overuse. He takes another step forward, pushing the advantage as I barely dodge another swing, this time against my chest, swiftly back peddling to get some distance from the man.

"You, hah, you're fighting a bit more wildly than last time." Edward comments with a sharp intake of breath, moisture forming on his forehead as he regains his posture. Sword held with two hands and back ever so slightly bent, his eyes never completely closing, more so squinting and reopening to simulate the motion than anything. He's _extremely _focused, his eyes intently examining me over and over again. His focus is entirely on me, and I can't be more _delighted _for it to be so.

"I'm well aware, it's so much more _freeing _than before, I did take that tip of yours into consideration after all." I reply cheerfully, twirling my sword in a hand before returning it to its more natural position, arm hanging loosely by my side, both my arm and my grin twitches with the pure rush of excitement.

'**You're acting like a rabid animal, a **_**feral**_**, I'd be begrudgingly impressed if my chest didn't fucking **_**hurt **_**because of you.'**

"Mn, even so, I wasn't entirely expecting it anyways. Didn't you have proper training of some kind." I raise my eyebrow as he questions me, head tilting forward in a small motion.

"Really? You're asking _the amnesiac _if he remembers training?" I counter his question with a question of my own, sarcasm dripping off of my tongue. He smiles awkwardly, the hilt of his sword shifting in his hands.

"Well, perhaps that's not the greate-" He cuts himself off with a grunt, stumbling backwards as he barely manages to block another strike of my sword, a small frown on his face as he barely recuperates his balance before properly blocking another wild swing, pushing it and myself backwards.

"Really? You're gonna cut me off mid sentence?" He half whines with an exasperated tone, sighing in an almost disappointed tone afterwards, but I still see the ghost of a smile on his face. I _know _you're enjoying this too, Edhead!

'**By the gods, you're both savages, god fucking dammit.'**

"Duh? This is the time for friend fighting, dammit, we can chat later." I answer casually with a shrug and a roll of my eyes, refocusing on Edward himself with an amused grin. He sighs again, his lips twitching upwards as he rolls his shoulders, back into his natural position he goes. He suddenly pushes on the offensive, stepping forwards and dragging his sword in a predictable but _strong _upward cut, the grin on my face widens as the blood ignites, stepping backwards to force the swing to whiff once again. I lunge forward with a quick jab, the man sidestepping himself, the tip of my blade clipping and tearing at the side of his shirt. I continue to push myself forward, the muscles tensing with a burning feeling as I force myself to twist mid step, barely managing to bring up the flat of my sword to block his oncoming downward swing, bringing up my spare hand to support my own defence, the two weapons deadlocked in a power struggle. We both breath heavily as our eyes lock contact, despite the potential for actual harm, there's a strange respect in the brief moment that we share, the both of us are _smiling_. This is a power struggle between the both of us that someone's gonna win _eventually_, but, I could always use my head…

'**Oh my fucking lord, please don't.'**

I refuse to heed Adrians begging, a delighted snarl escaping my lips as I force my head beside the two blades, my skull whacking against Edwards with a lovely cracking noise, my head flaring up in pain with the mutual strike. I take the brief relief to shove Edward away and stepping back myself, gasping heavily to answer the demand of air, there's so much excitement and electricity in the air!

'**And my fucking head hurts, you mother fucker.'**

He groans and shakes his head, a slightly dazed look in his eyes alongside a delighted yet positive glint, an oddly amused chuckle slipping from his lips. We meet together with the clattering and banging of steel on steel, my vision a blur from the adrenaline that still forces itself through my body, the muscles inside of me feeling flared from vigorous use, even the clanging sound feels dull against my twitching ears as the both of us collide once more. Is there someone else here? Is Adrian as muted as the sounds that I can barely process? Does it even matter at the moment what he'd think or say? I'm having so much fucking fun! The sound of battle, of steel battering steel is what matters!

My thoughts run through my mind with a zealous fever, a feeling of elation surging through my chest and limbs as I bring my blade down to the mans center, the tip will rip through his clothes and tear his skin, and that'll be the end of that, that'd be the end of this _fantastic _sparring session. The grin on my face falters for a moment, the feeling of metal sliding off of metal reverberating throughout my arms, the screeching of it is on the forefront of my brain as it happens. I feel myself lean forward into a fall, the chill of a sharp edge pressing against my throat as the blood thunders in my hearts, my heart pounding against my chest as I stare unblinking into the mix of dirt and grass beneath us. It feels as if the fever of the fog of battle was suddenly lifted from my mind, blinking rapidly as general awareness returns to my body. The both of us remain stock still, my hand dangling lazily in the air as the sharp edge seems ever more apparent as we both take in deep and heavy breaths of air.

I put too much of my posture into that one strike, Edward knew that I'd over extend and let it happen, Edwards blade's against my throat.

Holy shit

I fucking _lost_.

'**Yeah, you did, now can you stop being an animal and behave like a normal human being? By the fucking gods, I feel tired entirely because of you, how the fuck do I feel physically exhausted without a proper body?'**

"I yield, I yield." I say after a few moments, a hand reaching up and gently pushing his sword away from my neck, stepping away from him as both of our chests heave to take in the now shockingly cold air, unsynchronised and rabid.

"Hah, that was a surprisingly close fight, I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did." Edward responds with a raspy tone, a half smirk on his fatigued looking face, his face beaded with sweat dripping down and off of his chin. I let out an exhausted sigh as I sheath my sword, trying my best to just _breathe _in air. Gods, my chest feels so deflated, I almost feel like i was too focused on the fight to remember to breathe.

'**Not too unlikely, your mind was so fucked that you didn't even respond to **_**me**_**, pretty rude of you by the way, you savage.'**

"That I did Edhead, that I did. Fuck, I fucking _lost_, can't say I expected that." I pipe up with a half hearted grin, a heavy wariness in my limbs setting in as I bring my hand up, dragging it through my hair. I grimace and blanch, a salty stickiness gluing onto my fingers as I pull it away, trying in vain to flick it away. Gross, eaugh, thank fuck I didn't have my gloves on, otherwise that'd just turn out _extra _disgusting.

"Heh, despite how wild you were, I got a feeling for how you'd act, so I counted on you making a mistake." He answers with a soft snicker through his raspy through, coughing almost violently afterwards, wiping away his spittle and the sweat that clings to his face. I flicker my arms to fan the cool air around me as I stand upright with a groan, spine cracking slightly as I do so, being bent over for so long must've put a fair bit of strain on my spin there. Probably should keep an eye on that.

"I guess I got a bit too in the moment, but still, I fucking _lost_. I don't recall you being so fast either, have you been training?" I strike up the conversation once again with a question, my stony limbs limbering up slowly but steadily, maybe I should've stretched _before _the sparring, but better late than never right? The muscles that scream at me probably doesn't agree, but that's besides the point.

"Well, yeah, after I lost to you when we first met, I promised myself that I wouldn't become so complacent to lose another fight due to overconfidence alone. Putting my pride aside, I wanted to hone what I was good at to get _better_, and that'd be duelling. Have _you _been training, Fuzz?" He questions me in return with a raised eyebrow, his feet tapping against the ground with an inspective eye. I press my lips together and roll my wrist around, a half hearted dismissive way.

"Eeeeh, not exactly? I don't think cardio counts as actual training." I reply with a playful smile. He drops his smirk with a sigh, shoulders slouching forwards slightly as he fingers his sword hilt with a spare hand.

"Not sure what 'cardio' is, but the fact that I almost lost despite your apparent lack of proper training _and _personal training is… worrisome I suppose, almost makes me feel like this victory is a trifling one at best when I take that into consideration." He trails off as he looks away, his eyes taking on a far off look and glazing over as he crosses his arms. I huff, my cheeks puffing up slightly with it before sighing, making my way over to him. I raise a hand and let out a forceful click against his skull, a light thwapping noise coming from the small strike, it pulls him out of his downtrodden looking posture, and I assume his thoughts too. He yelps with the hit, too, sending a small glare my way as he rubs at the struck point with the palm of his hand.

"No."

"Wha-" I cut him off the raising of my hand, threatening another flick against his skull. I hold it against him for a few moments before lowering my hand, feeling my lips morph into a frown of disapproval.

"No, bad Edward thoughts, you won the fight fair and square. The fact that I haven't trained doesn't mean shit, that's on me, not _you_. My personal willingness to dip out on training with a sword doesn't detract from you taking your time to get better. Also, I'm a basitin, I'm fairly sure I'm naturally hardy in a fight or some shit, something like that, so you being able to work over and past a natural advantage of mine solely due to my body is _also _a point to you." I half scold and half commend the man as I look down at him, it feels strange to do so, it's part criticism for myself, part for his own pessimistic thoughts _while _trying to point out his good work. It feels odd, and off putting, like I'm on the verge of fucking up while outside of my own comfort zone. He remains silent for a few moments longer, his eyes still distracted elsewhere, but I see his lips twitch upwards with a chuckle.

"If someone told me a month ago that I'd meet a non human who'd end up being a friend of mine, I'd have written them off as a mad man." I raise an eyebrow as he continues his soft laughter, his twitching lips going from a barely suppressed half smile to an oddly soft and genuine one, his body unwinding with a relieved sigh as he looks up at me. "You've my thanks, Zeke, truly."

I'm not sure why, but the genuine feeling from his voice and his body forces an overly happy and dopey feeling grin on my face, an odd feeling of elation fluttering through my body. It's similar to the thrill of the battle, it's a lighter feeling on my mind and body than that though, it's nice.

'**Ew, you're both fucking **_**gross**_**.'**

I ignore Adrians comment as it intrudes on my skull, raising a hand between the two of us, a smile still on my face. His hand clasps into mine, a surprise yelp coming from his throat as I drag him closer to me, wrapping my arm around his back in a forceful hug that lifts him off of the ground.

"Love ya too, Edhead." I say simply as I squeeze my arm around his back, ignoring his groans and grunts of rejection as I do so, dropping him onto the ground eventually. He groans again and puts a hand against his back, leaning backwards with a non committal frown on his face.

"Don't do that again, that's weird, and now I smell like a wet dog. Thanks Fuzz." I ignore his deadpan grumbling with a mirthful chuckle, wrapping my arm around him in a side hug.

"You're welcome bud, we both probably smell like garbage anyways." The ribbing between us two devolves into friendly chuckles.

"That much is true, lets get back to the camp though, I might've lost track of time, but I pray to the masks it hasn't been too long." I roll my eyes and nudge an elbow against his shoulder, following beside him as we walk back to the camp, it feels odd to see a great big smile on his face, but it's a welcoming odd. Ain't no friend of mine gonna have bad sad thoughts, no sir.

'**Your own thoughts are just fine though, ain't that right?'**

You're damn right Adrian, damn right, I'm the exception to that rule naturally. A whistling brings me out of my thoughts, my head twisting around and facing forward. A familiar pale face stands out against the backdrop of the camp, clad in ankle high boots with a plain brown and white tunic that looks a size too big for her, hanging off of her shoulders semi-loosely, at least her cloth pants look like they fit well.

"Awh, aren't you two just _adorable_! I should thank ya two for the show~" She says with a coy grin as her head tilts back slightly, fists resting on her hips. Edward sighs beside me, pinching at the bridge of his nose with a shake of his head.

"Good morning to you too, Miss Lucy, sleep well?" I ignore her comment with a question of my own, a polite smile on my face as we approach. She huffs, a displeased pout on her face for a brief moment. Her baiting doesn't work in this situation, how unfortunate for her.

"Aw phooey, neither of you are fun, you both suck butt. And no, no I bloody didn't, wooden floors suck at actually being comfortable. I don't suppose either of you have somethin to _help _me out, hm~?" Her pout only intensifies as she looks up to the both of us, a sniffle coming from her as her eyes wetten, crocodile tears threatening to fall. I raise an eyebrow as I look down to her, eyes glancing at Edward, the man shrugging nonchalantly with a disconnected feeling. I roll my eyes, reaching up and flicking at the small ladys forehead _very _lightly, a dainty squeak coming from her throat, suppressing a snicker as she raises a hand to rub at the spot, her pout still staining her pale face.

"Sorry, Miss Lucy, but we all have to sleep in the same conditions. Sorry to sound so callous, but you probably should've taken the fact that we'd be sleeping rough into consideration, sorry again." I part answer and part apologise to the lady, who huffs once more and crosses her arm.

"Bah, you don't _really _mean that, fuzzy. Incidentally, where's your cloak at? Not that I _mind _the view or anythin, just haven't seen you without the thing, and I don't see it around?" She questions me with a hum, stepping forwards and pushing up onto her toes, leaning a bit too close to my face for comfort, a feeling of awkwardness clutching my heart as an uncomfortable sweat beads on my forehead, leaning away from her in turn.

'**Pfeh, this tiny bastard's getting on my nerves, how can you stand how she acts? That's not even getting into her treating us like a lab rat.'**

It's a mutual agreement, Adrian, and I don't particularly dislike her little 'quirks'.

"I, ah, lent it to Mabel for a while, just so she had something like a blanket to stay warm for now." I answer her with an awkward feeling in my throat, the girl staring into my eyes with her own, squinting with a truly unneeded scrutiny. She hums once more before sighing, pulling away with her steps. I let out a sigh I didn't realise I was holding, coughing to clear my throat as she continues to stare. Suppress that shiver Zeke, she's not being intentionally creepy, that's just how she is. I think, I hope.

"I see, I see, well I ain't one ta judge. You got that mana crystal on ya? I wanna hang around for a bit longer to teach ya, I _am _your teacher after all, and it's the reason I'm on this dumb dumb journey after all. I'm sure you don't really mind, do ya Eddy~?" She directs her attention to the somewhat left out guardsman, his body jolting slightly in surprise, but I see through his suppression of it! He's probably feeling a bit awkward from that, that's hilarious.

"While I'd prefer to get marching sooner rather than later, I'm not currently opposed to a brief respite to recover our energy, it'd help with having some breakfast too." He responds monotonously, shrugging alongside his answer.

"Great! Super duper fantastic, now go get your stuff fuzzy." She twists and skips away wordlessly soon after that, my eyes staring into her back with slow blinks. I'm uh, a little bit confused by this entire interaction, but I'll just roll with it. Quirky indeed. I turn my head to face Edward, raising an eyebrow as he pinches the bridge of his nose again, squeezing his eyes shut with an irked sigh.

"You _did _let her come with us, to be fair." I comment chirpily with a good humoured smile on my face, chuckling as he sighs again, resting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing lightly.

"I know, I'm aware Fuzz, I'm just going to elect to ignore this conversation and go about with my morning. Thank you again, though, we should do this another time" His soft smile returns to his face as he looks up to me. My smile widens as I give him a thumbs up, patting him on the shoulder before brushing past him, jogging to the tent as I softly curse myself out. Fucking mana crystal, I forgot about that thing, I sure hope Mabel doesn't do anything with it. Does she have the capability for magic? I dunno, maybe I'm just worrying too much.

'**Yes, yes you are, weirdo.'**

Thank you for your commentary, Adrian, it's very helpful. Hey, what's it like up there? Are you just kinda being dragged along for the ride by me?

'**More or less, it's like a really hazy dream, where you can't **_**really**_ **control your body and you're forced to move by other means, like you're being railroaded to a destination. Except this dream is lucid and by god do I wish for it to end, you're almost insufferable sometimes.'**

Love you too, Adrian.

'**Pfah.'**

Adrians speech stops as I reach the back of the wagon, stepping up to the wood and pushing myself through the wraps, my eyes blinking rapidly to adjust to the sudden darkness. My ears twitches as a soft and confused trill sound hits it, kneeling down beside the source of the noise and slipping a hand under the hood to rest it atop her head, ruffling her hair once more.

"Hey kid, I'm just here to grab something from the cloaks pockets, you don't mind right?" I ask her in a soft voice. She doesn't respond verbally, I can see her shoulders softly shrug in the darkness as she pushes a her hand against a hand. I hum and bite the inside of my cheek, running a hand down the side of the cloak furthest away, that was the right side, right? I let out an accomplished sigh as I dig my hand into the pocket, the hardened feeling of the mana crystal against the tips of my fingers before clutching it, yanking it out of the pocket. It thrums with it's unnatural power once again, it's a different feeling when physically touching it compared to touching it through a glove.

"Alright, thanks kid, you can get me if you need me at any time, okay?" I try to say in an encouraging manner, fingers digging behind her ears. Still no verbal response, and I can't tell if the nodding is in response to the scratching or from the question itself. I bite back a concerned sigh as I pull away from her, gaze still lingering for a moment longer before pushing the wagon wraps away.

I stop mid way from leaving the wagon as the mix of a growl and a rumbling noise hits my ears, twitching lightly as I look behind myself, and at Mabel. She curls and wraps herself in the cloak, motionless and silent in the green blanket, the gears in my mind turning as I step back into the wagon. I kneel beside her once again, her face buried in the wraps of cloth as I frown.

"Kid, didn't I tell you to grab some food from my bag if you needed it?" I try to keep my voice low as I rest a hand on her shoulder, my chest and face wincing as she flinches, visible even when she tries to hide. There's a bitter feeling in my throat as I scowl, pulling away from the girl and drag my bag closer to the two of us, forgetting the glowing rock in my hand for a few moments as I drop it onto the wooden floor. I rummage through the bag, pushing the contents aside before reaching the bottom of it, pulling out three decent size cloth packets. I drop one alongside the mana crystal as I return to tending to the girl, softly nudging her with a hand.

"Hey, Mabel, lil kid, come on." I gently plead to the girl, pulling away and unwrapping a packet part way and holding it beside her. She shivers and fidgets slightly, her head poking up from beneath the hood, tugging it back with a spare hand. My frown deepens as I look at her face, an awful blend of conflicting emotions crossing over her face, her golden eyes glowing in the dark as she sniffles, a frown on her small face. I swallow the bile in my throat, swallow down that overprotective feeling Zeke. I nudge the meat closer to her, her eyes latching onto the thing.

"It's for you, kid. I made a promise." I say to her simply, I refuse to tear my eyes away from her, almost _begging _her to take the fucking food from my hands. She sniffles again, reaching out with shaky and dainty hands and clutching at the both of the packets. I let go of it, watching she slowly brings the rations close to her, her eyes flickering between the food and myself.

"T-thank you, thank you." She squeaks out softly, a bright and innocent smile on her face that mixes the feelings in my chest, though I do feel absolutely _delighted _that she accepted the gift. I smile, though it feels half hearted, rubbing a hand on her head as she nibbles at the jerky, or the equivalent of it here.

"Any time, kid." I respond with a resolute nod, her smile widening slightly as she wriggles in place, a content look on her face as the nibbles turn into solid bites of the meat. I turn and grab my things, mana crystal and ration packet, scrambling back onto my feet and stepping into the light. My mood sours as I hit the ground, a grimace on my face as I clench my fists, packet buckling and deforming with it.

If I find the fucker who made Mabel like this.

I'm gonna break their neck.

'**Heheh, once a savage, always a savage.'**

I prefer the term 'vigilante', for a soul left battered and bruised.

'**Whatever makes you feel better, brute.'**

**Authors note: This is uploaded a little bit earlier than normal due to having to leave for family reasons, there'll be a small delay in updates, but it should return to normal soon afterwards. **


	35. Chapter 35

"So, what's the plan for this morning, oh dearest teacher of mine?" I question the little lady sarcastically, the girl yelping in surprise as her spine jolts straight upright, her hands fumbling with the heavy tome in her hands before slamming it shut, huffing and looking up to me with a glare. Having your nose stuck in a book is definitely one way to be caught off guard.

'**Nerds, the both of you.'**

Shh, don't be rude.

"Hff, and a _hello _to you too fuzzy, coulda given me some warning, ya know." She scolds with a huff, a pout on her face as she holds the book up to her chest, her eyes squinting into a glare. I shrug, a small smug smile gracing my lips as I look down to her with a tilted head.

"I could've, but it's less fun that way. I got what you wanted though, Miss Lucy." I ignore her scolding with a lazy wave of my free hand, the other one rolling the blue stone between my fingers. It's cool electricity jolts and tingles at my hand, mother fucking magic.

'**Of which will be our downfall, but you don't seem to worry about that too much.'**

Magic's cool, Adrian, come oooooooon. It's fucking maaaaagic!

'**Pfeh, it's not like you'd listen to me anyways you little bastard.'**

"Ahah! Fantastic, now now now, what was I planning on doing…?" She mutters to herself as she trails off, her lips twisting as she hums for a moment before twisting around, dropping to her knees and shoving the book into her bag, her faint mumbling under her breath forcing my ears to twitch at the sound, but I can't _actually _hear anything she's saying. Is she talking to herself?

'**She's fucking weird, I wonder how she plans on using us as a lab rat for today.'**

Her quirks are… _odd_, but I still can't see why you'd be so distrustful of her.

'**Wha- she fucking admitted to it you son of a bitch!'**

Don't speak of our mother that way, she's probably been a nice lady.

'**Which one? Your memories are a muddled fuckfest that I don't have the will power nor desire to rummage through that shit.'**

Well, at least _one _of them is probably nice, right? But that's besides the point, I get that you're paranoid, but _come on_, can't we give her a chance?

'**Do you remember what happened last time you gave someone you didn't truly trust a chance? You nearly lost your life to Zen, and nothing you say can make either of us forget that.'**

My skull throbs with a dulled pain, a faint hiss of pain spewing from my mouth as I clutch at it with a hand, shaking my head lightly. I, maybe you have a point? It's kind of naive to be thinking so highly and freely of people I don't _really _know, right? I can't exactly do that any more, I have someone to take care of now, someone beyond myself.

'**Your attachment to that girl isn't something that I care to comment on any more, it's not like you'd care for it anyways, it's honestly a delight to see you actually **_**agreeing **_**with me. Not everyone here's gonna be on your side, nor have your best interests at their heart and it's really fucking naive of you to think otherwise, everyone has somet ulterior motive for themselves. Even **_**you**_ **do, you might not realise it is all. Everyone might not be human but they're definitely **_**human **_**at heart, with all of the disgusting thoughts and cruelty that comes with it.'**

But, that's not entirely true is it? Edwards at least a nice man, rough around the edges and far from perfect, but he's still a good friend right? I've trusted him with who I am, and he seems okay, that goes for something right? Who's to say that you're just lying to me, to get under my skin?

'**Perhaps he **_**might **_**mean well for you specifically, but that doesn't make him a good man in general, keep in mind the people you consider 'friends' either would've killed you at first or **_**did **_**attempt it. And why would I lie to you? I **_**am **_**you, your inner thoughts given form within your mind, I'm just looking out for the both of us cause **_**you **_**sure aint, you reckless waste of skin.'**

I feel so _cold_, a chill wrapping around my shoulders, ice forming and clutching at my throat as my ears twitch again, the world turning a cold blue as a a shuddering breath leaving my chest with chilly wisps trailing after it. My muscles freeze as the cold residue drags past my lips, what feels like a hand clutches at my shoulder as the mist continues to drag itself out of me, swirling and swirling mid air.

My teeth chatters as the mist becomes more structured, as if on the cusp of something being recognisable. What, what's going on? This isn't really reality, is it? What the fuck, what's going on? I can't tear my eyes away from the mist, a cold feeling gripping my jaw and forcing me in place, my eyes steadily widening as the cold haze curls itself upwards, as if into an egotistical and malicious grin.

'**You're far from stable, mentally and otherwise, and I'm at least **_**something **_**that you'll **_**always **_**have. Who else would really believe you about this fucking nonsense to begin with?'**

"Zeke?" The cold blue that surrounds me shatters in a moment, eyelids twitching open and closed almost uncontrollably as my throat clenches once more, the escalating dull pain evaporating as quickly as the mist did. I force my eyes to stop its twitching, the feeling of a warm arm wrapped around my shoulders doing little to still the beating heart that thunders in my chest, worried eyes and a concerned face staring straight into mine.

"Are you there, Zeke?" Edward speaks in an uncharacteristically soft voice, his pupils darting rapidly as if examining my face. The words feel like they pass through one ear and out the other, but I dully nod in response, my throat still clenched in an uncomfortable fashion, my lips feel cold like ice. The worry on his face dissipates slightly, a thankful sigh creeping from his lips as his hand squeezes at my shoulder with a firm grip, the slight nudging that he does almost feels like he's carrying me around with how I stumble, I can't feel my legs, what's going on?

Edward nudges and drags me to a rock, guiding myself onto it with an awkwardly tender care, my vision still hazy, but I can at least see far enough to notice the waterskin that he holds up to me. I reach up to it with shaky hands, a weak but almost desperate grip at the neck of it, shoving the tip of it against my lips. The water falls past my lips, whetting my dry and needy throat with a strangely refreshing feeling, why was it so parched? Why is this water so cold? Is there a stream nearby? I banish the thoughts as best I can and pull the waterskin away from my lips, pressing them together and swallowing it as best as I can.

"Are you feeling okay? We lost you for a while, I was, you know…" Edward trails off, a concerned look still plaguing his face as he looks down to me. I hate it, I hate how worried he is for me, haven't I done enough to fuck with him? I shake my head, opening and closing my eyelids slowly and carefully, the blurry vision eventually fading. I hold his waterskin up to him in return as I reach up and clutch at my throat, massaging it softly with a hand as he takes it back.

"I, urk, I think I'm okay, sorry, sorry sorry sorry." My throat feels croaky, the last of my sentence turning into a coughing fit that I barely cover with my mouth, eyes squeezing shut as I shake my head, fuck, what the fuck happened? I groan and rub at my head with a hand, a jolt of surprise running up my spine as my eyes flicker open, looking down to see the Edwards back.

"Don't be sorry, are you okay now Zeke? What happened?" He asks slowly as he pulls away from me to properly lean down to my height, looking over me with a frown on his face and an erratic look in his eyes, a troubled look on his face as clear as day. I feel my heart sink as he raises a hand to my forehead, pressing the back of it against me as he softly hums, hes so fucking _worried _over me _again_, and I fucking hate it.

'**If only you were a little less of a nutcase, I truly wish I had an idea on what **_**exactly **_**happened there, you zoned off pretty hard when we were talking.'**

I, is that really what happened? I just zoned out when talking to you? What happened with the whole cold fucking mist thing? That felt so _real_.

'**The only thing that can be truly real to you is the environment that your mind creates to see, if you get what I mean, and you're far from normal. It's not like the first time your fucked up little brains confused you after all, remember that magic incident with Lucy before? The whole fire bullshit? I'm still fucking mad about that by the way, I can still **_**feel **_**the heat scorching at our flesh.'**

I wince and clutch at my stomach, pain flaring up in my skull again as I force down the bile in my throat. _Please_ don't remind me of that Adrian, I really don't think that I can stomach that feeling again. That, does kinda make sense I think? I'm not sure, my mind still feels so messy and muddled, you didn't do anything did you?

'Hey, i feel what you feel dumb ass, im not exactly _thrilled _about this either. I can't control what you see, that goes for the things that your mind makes too.'

I dunno, I'm still not really _convinced_.

'**Cmon dick head, you can trust me with this shit at **_**least**_**, I don't enjoy the pain very much after all, and I'm stuck being dragged along like a corpse. Also, reply to your friend already, I don't like the way he's looking at us.'**

"Ah, I uh, I really don't know, my heads all muddled and fucky and…" I trail off with a frustrated groan, burying my face into my hands as my eyes begin to sting, trying to rub away the maddening feeling of it against my face. Fuck, mother fucking fuck, I thought I'd be better than this, I don't want to force Edward to feel _more _concerned over my dumb ass.

'You know you can't run from yourself, Zeke. Lord knows I wish I could, it's awful in here.'

A warm and cosy feeling wraps itself around my shoulders once again, the top of my head pressing against a warm cloth. Wha? What's going on?

"Fuz- Zeke, you're a fucking idiot, and that's why I'm here. You're gonna be okay, I promise." His voice is low and sounds awkward, though it's in a sincere way, a rough and calloused hand patting against my back. Is, is he trying to fucking confort me like a kid? Despite confused feeling that brews in my chest, I don't push away the man, pulling my twitching hands away from my face and clasping them together tightly as my head continues to nudge into his chest, the fragmented yet frantic breathing that forced itself to spew out of my throat dies down slowly, a confused but soothed feeling replacing the worried one in my skull. As my breathing slows, so does my heart, the stinging in my eyes fading alongside them as I take in deep breaths. Edward, Edward wouldn't lie to me right? Edward's a good friend.

'If you believe it so, then I can't change your mind.'

I don't think I can talk or listen to you at the moment Adrian. Can you just, give me a bit, please?

'Humph, whatever you say.'

"Are you feeling any better Fuzz?" Edward continues to question me as he pulls away, his deep frown still on his face as he eyes me, hands moving up from my back and gripping at my shoulders. I sniffle and palm at my eyes, the stinging feeling still residing as I look up to him, a weak feeling smile forcing itself on my face.

"I, I think so? I'm not really sure, I'm just, god fucking dammit. I'm sorry about all this again, I don't like feeling as if you're forcing yourself to help me when I-" A stinging feeling that thwaps against my forehead interrupts me, a yelp of surprise forcing itself from my throat as I rub at it with a hand, looking up to him with a huff and a glare. There's a shit eating grin on his face, his hand still raised as a finger curls back into his palm, a hand still grips at my shoulder, the amused look in his eyes mixed with a determined one.

"What was that for?" I question the fucker, voice feeling shrill in my throat at the end of it as I continue to rub at the spot, the stinging feeling fading away eventually. Did he just fucking flick my head? What a bastard!

"You were rambling, dumbass. I can't say I know how you feel, but you're a friend, and I tend to stand by friends." He says simply, his hand slipping from my shoulder as he crosses his arms. There's a pang in my heart, an odd feeling in my chest as I continue to look up to the man. It's warm, and odd, and I don't know the word for it, but fuck it feels nice, it's a warm and welcoming feeling. There's a choking feeling in my throat that accompanies it too, not nearly as throttling as the wintry assault before, my lips curling up into a smile.

"I, ah, shit. Thanks Edward, I'd say sorry about being sorry, but that defeats the purpose doesn't it?" I wonder aloud, Edwards roll of his eyes answers the rhetorical question though, a hand reaching down to me. I look at it for a moment before looking back up to him, a hand of my own clasping at it with a firm grip, a soft grunt coming from his chest as he yanks me onto two feet. I stand upright and wince as my back cracks, quickly twisting and stretching. Jesus Christ, it feels as if my spine was borderline frozen solid.

"Now, are you going to be okay Fuzz? You make me worry far too much." He says with an exasperated sigh, a pursed frown on his lips with an unamused look on his face as I wrap my arm around his shoulder, squeezing it lightly with an overly wide grin.

"Awh, it's cute of you to worry bout me Eddy, I'll be fine though. Thank you." I snicker as he forces my arm off of him, the light jab to my shoulder only reinforces the grin on my face.

"Whatever you say Fuzz." He says monotonously, rolling his eyes as I return his display of 'affection' with a friendly jab of my own. I feel _infinitely _fucking better, Jesus Christ.

'**Tsk, of course you two would equate that to 'affection'.'**

Shh, it works doesn't it? It's fun, so fuck you.

'**Testy testy, no need to be so aggressive to yourself.'**

Pfah, I'm not exactly delighted to be talking to you at the moment Adrian.

'**Really? I didn't notice, your overwhelming feeling of angst is somewhat overpowering it after all.'**

You fuckin-

A clicking noise brings me out of my thoughts, shaking my head as my vision focuses in on the sight of thin dainty fingers snapping, an unamused and pouting face behind the hands. Oh, oh! Right, Lucy is a person that exists, too caught up in my own thoughts again.

"Fuuuuuzzy, you there?" She whines with a huff, her bottom lip pouting further as she balls her hands into fists, resting them on her waist, tapping a foot against the dirt impatiently. I hold back a wince, rubbing at the back of my neck, a solid fucking whoops on my part.

"Yeah, sorry about that, I think I'll be fine though." I try to answer her in a flat tone to mask myself, forcing an uncomfortable feeling shrug. She squints her eyes as she hums, stepping a little bit too close for comfort, her face far too close to mine. Her eyes stare into mine as I look around her, a bead of sweat on my forehead. God fucking dammit Lucy stop being weird. I yelp as a finger connects with my nose, the girl flicking at it before stepping away. She smiles smugly as I grumble underneath my breath, a palm rubbing the afflicted area with another wince, the fuck's that for?

"You seem kiiiiinda distracted, fuzzy, you sure you're gonna be okay to practise this stuff? Magic is a dangerous force after all, and you ought ta pay full attention." She says in a tone of warning, her pout turning into a small frown as she tilts her head. My hand slides off of my face as I sigh, turning my head around and looking over Edward for a brief moment. Despite how long this entire scenario feels, it's still _kind _of early morning, the sun reflecting off of his armour pieces as he washes them with a cloth, a keen eye inspecting the armour with a thorough look, his lips pursed into a concentrated frown. Edward would be around to help me if something goes wrong, right? I can trust him, I'm fairly sure.

"I'll be okay, you two would be here to help me if something goes wrong anyways, so I'm in perfectly capable hands arent I?" I answer her warning with a rhetorical question of my own, a faux cheery grin on my face as I look down to her. She sighs and rolls her eyes, lips twitching upwards.

"While I'm definitely a fantastic mage, as ya ought to know, it's important that _you _don't push yaself too much, ya know? We'll take it slow though, just for you~" She replies with a teasing tone, her hand reaching up to my face. I raise a hand and softly hold hers with it, the girl huffing and pouting soon after.

"No more flicking me, I don't get why that's suddenly a thing now."

"Aw phooey, you're no fun! Your ears twitch when ya get flicked, it's funny!" I sigh and let go of her hand, gently shoving it back towards her, ignoring her repeated huffs of displeasure.

"Can we get back to the point, please? What was your plan for today, Miss Lucy?" I ask the miniature mage with a flat tone, the girl jolting slightly with a sharp intake of air, twisting in a blur and moving back towards her bag.

"Oh! I forgot, eheh, sorry." She apologies, I can imagine an awkward smile on her face as she kneels in front of the bag, continuing to rummage through it. I sigh again and cross my arms, shifting from foot to foot to kill time. My fingers wrap around the mana crystal as I clench a hand, the energy from it as coaxing as always.

'Pfeh, disgusting magic.'

I ignore his grumbling, ears twitching upwards as Lucy lets out a triumphant yell, standing upright once again and twisting. A metal orb the size of a fist rests in her hands, her fingers clutching at the ball as she heaves it along with her movements, her face scrunched up awkwardly.

"Here ya go fuzzy!" She yells aloud with a strained voice, arms tensing as she throws the metal ball towards me. I reach up and catch it with cupped hands, stifling a surprised yelp from my throat as it pushes against me, almost stumbling from the weight of the thing. The fuck? The ball feels like it's entirely made of metal.

'Reminds me of those Shot Put balls, doesn't exactly sound like that'd be a sport here.'

The fuck's Shot Put?

'You throw the metal ball as far as you can, it sounds like something you'd enjoy.'

"So, what am I meant to be doing with this?" I question the girl as I hold the metal orb in a hand, a thumb rubbing over the mana crystal in the other one, it doesn't seem affected from the impact. Maybe it's not as fragile as I think? Not sure, it's a fucking crystal after all.

"Well, your control of magic pretty much sucks butt, so we're gonna be workin on that! Just hold that metal ball when it's in the air for as long as ya can, it's basic levitating after all." She instructs as she clasps her hands behind her back, skipping towards me with an oddly serious look on her face. That kinda sounds like telekinesis, how would that work for magic? Just will it to work and shit? She's not exactly telling me _how _to do what she _wants _me to do.

'She sounds like a pretty shitty teacher, it'd be _fantastic _research for her though.'

Yadda yadda lab rat, I get it. I hum to myself and clench a hand, the blue wisps of magic flaring and travelling up my arm, akin to a slithering snake. Well, I'm not gonna learn without pushing myself, am I? I toss the metal ball in the air, squinting and focusing on the target, my hand outstretched as I take in deep and steady breaths, the ball pausing mid air with a hazy blue glow to it. How long does she want me to hold this thing? Until I can't anymore? I guess I can do that, it seems like an easy enough task. It's… actually kinda heavy, as if the magic's just an extension of my arm, is that normal? Is that _meant _to happen? Or is that just how I'm willing the magic to work? Pfah, fucking magic, confusing pain in the ass.

Time passes as I stew in my thoughts, Adrian thankfully silent for the entirety of it, sweat forming on my brow as the blue mana continues to swirls and curls around my arm, my free hand reaching and holding it up after a while, my fingertips twitching unwillingly every so often, each twitch of it seems to make my skull feel heavier by the moment, a hazy fog pressing onto my senses, shaking my head forces the metal orb to wobble and tremble along with my arm. The gentle and tingling sensation of the magic that swirls around me turns into a tense one that continues to suppress the feelings, unsteady breaths forcing themselves gradually clenching teeth, I struggle to keep my vision straight and eyelids open as they begin to droop, heavy as stone. Fuck, shit, fucking fuck, I haven't held of this thing for that long have I? It's not that heavy, I can manage this for a little bit longer.

'**Youre gonna have to let go.'**

No no, I got it, it's all perfectly fine here.

'**Let it go you fuck nugget, it's hurting **_**my **_**fucking skull, and you're not dense enough to ignore that pain.'**

Just a bit mo-

'**LET IT GO.'**

"Fuck!" The blue mist dissipates into the air, my skull flaring up with a deep throbbing pain,it echoes and reverberates in my brain with a shrill ringing noise, my hands clutching at my head as a shuddering breath forces itself out of my chest. I hiss as the light sears my eyes, covering them with the palm of my hand as the muscles in my legs jerk, falling onto my knees. I feel something wrap around my back, dulled noises bouncing off of my ears as they twitch. The dulled noises turn into soft but worry filled whispers, indecipherable and incomprehensible, though it stills my fiercely beating heart at least a little bit, the ringing that rackets in my skull dulls down slightly alongside it.

My eyelids flicker open into the cover of my palms, though thin rays force the way through the gaps ever so slightly, a mix of a raspy groan and hissing pushing through my lips, mother fucking shit, this again?

'**Pfeh, you stubborn fucking bastard, pushing yourself too far hurts the both of us you dumb prick.'**

I shake my head as I rub my eyes, ignoring him again, the raw feeling of my eyes against the light raws dissipating eventually as I blink away the blinding light. Okay, my eyes feel better at least, I can see Edwards' concerned visage back in my face again too, a sour feeling boiling in my chest with a pain in my rump from the uncomfortable rock beneath me. Son of a bitch, I made him worry again didn't I? Fuck!

"Er, hey there Eddy, nice to see you again?" I say awkwardly, an embarrassed smile on my face as my face heats up, his concerned look fading to a mix between upset and irritated. He looks down on me with a grimace on his face, twisting and facing Lucy.

"You're both finished for today, we're moving out soon, and I don't want Zeke to be further endangered from this." He announces to the mage, a confused look on her face as she halts her scribbling, resting the paper on a palm sized wooden board. Where'd the quill and paper come from?

"Hey, I'm sure he gunna be fi-"

"No." He interrupts her with an almost aggressive voice, crossing his arms with a heated huff, his body tense and upright. I can imagine the stern look on his face, too, one that attempts to brook no argument on the subject. The airs tense and uncomfortable, shuffling around doing little to soothe myself. My hands twitch, a lack of feeling in them as I push myself upright, clasping a hand on Edwards shoulder and pocketing the gem with the other. Gonna need it for later, probably.

"H-hey, cmon Eddy, I'm fine, see?" He twists his head to face me, the back of my mind flinching at the glowering look on his face, though it softens ever so slightly as he looks at me.

"You can't do that to yourself, Zeke."

"How am I meant to know my limits if I don't attempt anything?"

"Magic is dangerous, and it's especially dangerous to _you_, I can't let you do that to yourself, not in good faith anyhow. There's a difference between pushing yourself and _killing _yourself."

:"I wasn't gonna _die _Edward, felt like shit afterwards and drained, but I'm okay now!" His lips purse shut with a subdued noise of annoyance in his throat, the both of us staring at each other with an unwavering look. Fuck, he's stubborn, but so am I, so fuck you!

'**Don't I know it, tsk, my fucking head's killing me.'**

"...You have responsibility now, don't you?" He pipes up suddenly, there's a strange look in his eye, and it catches me off guard.

"Eh? What do you mean by that?"

"The sla- the girl, whatever her name is. She's your responsibility, you can't take care of the girl if you die after all." My throat clenches as he glares into me, or through me, I can't tell. I purse my lips together as I rub at my neck. Shit, he's kinda right isn't he? I huff and raise up my hands in surrender.

"Fuck, fine, you got me then. Maybe I was a little, eh, excited I guess? Like, it's _magic_, it's so cool! But no, you're right, I'm sorry for worrying you Edward, _again_." I feel like a scolded child as I look away from him, a foot digging into the dirt beneath us. He holds his gaze for a few moments longer before sighing, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You're so much like him, and I fucking _hate _it. Just, be more careful Fuzz, I'm not always gonna be here to help you, as much as I want to." He says with another sigh, a tired look on his face and in his eyes, he's not entirely all here in his thoughts. I give him a weak smile though, and a one armed hug, despite his irked expression.

"Listen, I'm sorry, I might've just been a bit… zealous about what I wanna do, and a bit stubborn, but I'll go a bit slower for you." I say softly, cheering internally as his lips twitch upwards. Situation fixed, kind of anyways.

"I don't trust that for a second, now get off of me Fuzz." He pushes my arm away with an annoyed groan, an eye of his twitching as I laugh lightly. A cough interrupts the both of us, Lucy standing beside us with an awkward smile on her face, the paper she was with before nowhere to be seen. I didn't notice _that _either, whoops.

"So uh, about all of that, I've kinda thought of a theory for ya Zekey, if you wanna hear it anyways." She offers with a stiff tone, looking between us two. I shoot a look at Edward, the man shrugging in return. I guess he's neutral on it then, at least for now.

"Okay, what's your theory then, lil miss mage?" I ask the girl as I look down to her, her awkward smile replaced with a more formal one as she coughs into a hand, clasping the both of them behind her back. She looks like she's trying to be an actual teacher, but it's just not really working for her, in part due to her stature, part due to just how she behaves. It's cute though.

"Weeeeeeeeeell, I aint gunna beat around the bush, your control of ya magic is kinda awful, probably the worst I've seen." I purse my lips together as she speaks, ears twitching as Edward snickers beside me, the attempt at a comforting smile from Lucy does little to help me.

"Fantastic." I state with a deadpan tone, ears twitching as Lucy joins in fun with a poorly stifled giggle. Absolutely fantastic, great to note.

"I miiiight need more tests- Not that I'd force it of course! Just more information, and some more time, and I might figure out what's up with ya. Seriously, it's _awful _how unrefined and wasteful it is!" She continues to prattle on and on, Edward squeezing my shoulder lighty before returning to his business with a chuckle, leaving me alone with the chattering mage. Most of it goes over my head, technical nonsense that I don't quite understand. I don't entirely zone it out, but I dive back into my own thoughts, humming softly.

Hey, Adrian.

'**What?'**

Do you think that part of why this isn't working properly is due to, you know, _you _being so against using magic?

'**Maybe, I wouldn't give a toss about it either.'**

Don't you think that it _might _be helpful for the both of us if we put our heads together? If you're a part of me, and you're actively being _against _it, then maybe that'd play a part? Lucy wouldn't know about you after all.

'**Zeke, you fucking waste of skin, are you trying to ask me to **_**help **_**you with something that I **_**detest**_**?'**

At least once? Come on, it'd be for research!

'**Get bent, dickhead.'**

I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose, _now _I'm zoning out Lucy's ramblings, something about… Mana crystals I think, and the fabric of space? I'm just fucking lost now.

'**She's a nerd.'**

And you're a pain in the ass.

'**Love you too."**

Pfeh, another problem to throw onto the pile, I'll figure it out myself at least. Just might take a bit.

I kind of hope the rest of the day isn't like this, my head hurts.

**Authors note: So I had a pretty big delay with this update, so whoops. Quality might dip a bit in some sections too, I'm working on it. Updates should be as normal from here on though, at worst there might be a day slowdown. **


	36. Chapter 36

Feet beat against dirt, the thudding of Edwards march audible over the creaking and noise of the wagons that separate us, the sounds of nature filling my ears. I huff and rub at an eye, trying to force myself to stay awake as we continue to walk. Same as any other time I've had to go through these stupid fucking woods, more walking, more chirping, more mind numbing walking. The mostly calm and relaxing feeling from the woods is rubbing me the wrong way currently, a heavy and aggravated feeling weighing on my mind. Is it from this morning? I think it is, but i dunno for sure, pfah, more mess onto the fucking pile I guess.

'**Feeling rather testy today, aren't we Zekey? Here I was thinking that you were gonna start today on a high note with how **_**excited **_**you were with that friend of yours.'**

Pfeh, I guess my moods just went sour, I hope I don't feel like this for too long at least. The little 'episode' with you certainly put a damper on me thats for fucking sure. It feels like it weighs over my mind, or is that because of the magic incident? This morning felt both empty and lonely but resides in my mind like a parasite, not unlike you.

'**Testy testy indeed! That ain't cause of me you dipship, that's **_**entirely **_**you, you know that by now. You call me a parasite, yet I'm the reason we're alive, **_**I'm **_**the warning that blares in your skull when those with devious intentions encroach on us. Moments of mental weakness doesn't count, I'm glad this body is as physically hardy at least, I'd wish your dumb ass would stop getting hurt though.'**

I trust that as far as I can throw you, metaphorically of course. While that might be true, I'd rather not have to deal with every other moment, most times it feels like you're taking residence within my mind like a freeloader.

'**Awh, is that **_**really **_**how you think of me? You know I'm a part of you, right? Everything I say and do is because you **_**want **_**it to happen, whether it be the drive to try to live, or the things that I say.'**

I sigh lightly and shake my head, this conversation's going nowhere and all it's doing is making me turn into a brooding mess, can't afford to do that. I try my best to tune out the conversation, turning into a dull buzzing in my head as I focus on the march, though I feel my mind still drift back to it. Pfeh, now I just feel like garbage.

A shiver goes up my spine as the cold wind brushes over my fur, each hand rubbing at an arm as my teeth chatter. It's always so fucking cold, why is it so cold? At least I have my shirt on now, I'd love to have my cloak on too to help with it, but…

A soft smile forces itself on my cheek as I idly look downwards, the image of a cluttering of green and purple cloth wrapped into a ball appears in my mind, wrappings of the shitty jerky meat rations scattered across the floor, more than the ones I gave her. That cloth pile rose and fell with soft breaths, one that I could barely hear.

I'm not gonna wake her, she deserves a sleep where she feels comfortable, I'm glad that she felt comfortable enough to dig through my bag for some more food. I should get her some more food when we get back to Dartwood too, something better than these almost beef jerky meat sticks. I rest a hand over my stomach, lightly pressing against it as I purse my lips together. When was the last time I felt hungry? Is that normal for a basitin, or is that another anomaly from myself? Have I just forgotten about the times where I was hungry? My memory isn't the greatest after all. Pfeh, whatever the answer is, at least it's more food for the kid, that's the important part.

I hum and look upwards, an odd feeling stirring within my chest, how's Gerome doing anyways? I feel like we haven't talked in a while despite how physically close we are, would it be a good idea to talk to him? Yeah, I think it would.

'**Nothing's stopping you, besides, it would be a good idea to chat to a friend before you disappear from their lives for a while.'**

At least it's something we agree on for once. I jog up to the front of the wagon, waving a hand to catch Geromes attention. He jolts suddenly, his previously flat and emotionless looking face forcing itself into his mask of a smile. There's no way he's always so jovial, it _has _to be a mask of some kind, right?

'**Who knows what other secrets the merchant could have up his sleeve, whether or not you know him, he hides himself well enough, and it's in character for you to miss something isn't it?'**

"Oy, young Zeke! What is you doing up here, hm? Come to check up on old man Gerome?" He questions rhetorically with a friendly chuckle, his lively grin seeming to only widen further. Despite the mostly negative feeling thoughts that stir in my head, not really helped by Adrians commentary, I can feel myself lighten as he smiles down to me. I don't really try to stop the feeling of my lips curling upwards, even _if _his friendly visage is just a mask, at least it's a welcoming one.

'**How pathetic.'**

"Spot on, actually, how have you been feeling lately Gerome? It feels like we haven't spoken in… quite a while actually, despite how close we've been working." I shoot back to the old man with my head held high. My ears twitch as he lets out a boisterous laugh, mirthful grin still stained on his face.

"Zeke is being correct here, Gerome has being rather busy lately, merchant things, you understand da? Why don't you come up here for a sittings? Young Zeke may be young, but legs would be hurtings eventually." He offers with a gesture of his hand as he shifts off center, offering the spare seat space to me. I've pushed my legs further than this, but who am I to deny an offer from a friend? I nod, chuckling as the old man lets out a joly cheer, hands gripping around the wooden frame of the wagon and bringing myself upwards. I let out a soft grunt as I plant myself onto the wooden chair, hands gripping at the side to steady myself with a faint grimace on my face. It feels strange to be moving like this, the wagon feels unsteady on the dirt tracks beneath us, is it always like this?

"I uh, thank you for the offer Gerome although it wasn't needed, what's time with a friend other than time well spent? Anyways, is the wagon always this… unsteady?" I question the man as I clench my fist, wooden wagon knocking about as it rolls over a more unsteady part of the road, I imagine it to be a rock.

"Oy, is truthful words from young Zeke, time with friends is good time indeed! And da, though you be gettings used to it eventually." He answers with a chuckle, ears twitching as I hum to myself, an unsteady feeling of apprehension in my chest as I continue to squeeze at the wood. Ah man, fuck wagons, I fucking hate this, were cars from home like this or something? Jesus Christ, this feels _awful_.

"I, uh, if you say so Gerome. How have you been lately though? Both you personally and your work, I mean." I strike up a small conversation as I slowly let go of the bit of wood that stabilizes me, the unwelcome feeling still brewing in my chest, jolting left and right with the wagon. Fuck, I kinda wanna just start walking again, but wouldn't it be rude to just brush off the offer _after _I've taken it?

"Bahah, Gerome is doings okay, thank you for asking young Zeke! Merchant work is always work, never always good, but best to do your best, is that making sense? Is hard to explain in common human, you understand da?" His overly thick accented explanation is admittedly a bit rough to understand, but I nod along with him.

"Yeah, I think I understand what you mean by that, what do you mean by 'common human' though? Did you speak in a different language up north?" I continue to ask, it's a soft and easy question to pry into his past some more, for learning reasons of course. The north seems like a pretty poor place to live in, not that I know much about snow. Seems cold, speaking of cold, I wish I wasnt always so fucking cold, I can imagine the feeling of my hair standing on end despite having fucking _fur_.

"Da, Old Mother was good teacher, taught all her children many languages. She taught common human and keidran, but always spoke like Gerome be doing now, is hard habit to be getting rid of." He explains with a surprisingly abashed look on his face, a wrinkled hand rubbing at the back of his neck. Hm, I guess it makes sense to adopt the accent of the person you consider a parental figure, but something seems off about that.

"Why doesn't Vector or Valerie speak the same way then? I assume they were brought up with you, considering how the both of them know you. Of course, I could be wrong, but that's what I've assumed." I continue to ask the elder man with a tilt of my head, a tinge of amusement igniting in my chest as he smiles awkwardly and looks away. Awh, I'm getting under the old buggers skin, that's fucking hilarious! I thought the only way I could do that was with mentioning Anna.

Anna… Fuck, she's gonna kick my ass when she finds out that I have a fucking _slave_, god dammit.

"Well, Gerome was always closer to Old Mother than others, helped lookings after her as she grew older and older, her way of speakings rubbed off on Gerome. Others were more busy with other things, with other humans, some be leavings her a lot earlier than I, you understand Da?" He continues to explain, a wistful looking smile on his face as he trails off, longing look in his eyes. That's, huh, I can't say I expected Gerome to be a mothers boy honestly. I think it's a nice soft side to him, one that I can appreciate and approve of too.

'**Well, **_**I **_**think that his thick as fuck accent is a pain in the ass to listen to, it's fucking awful.'**

Sshhh, shut it Adrian, we're getting some god damn Gerome backstory! It's nice to know how friends are.

"Hah, I understand Gerome, quite well actually. I think that's a pretty damn good virtue for you." I reply with a smile, the man chuckling soon after. It's a mirthless sounding chuckle, his smile turns from wistful to a more serious expression, though it's a poor mask for the sudden turn of expression. My smile droops as I tilt my head again, ears flattening against my neck, was it something I said?

"Oy, it is bringing me great joy to hear that from young Zeke, but Gerome has done very… ungood things in the past, for clinkings of coin, for muscle and fightings" His tone turns grim as his lips purse together, hands clenching on the reins of the horse. I grimace, the feel of the air between us becoming stiff and tense. He sighs after a few moments, a time worn hand rubbing against his face.

"Gerome is sorry, young Zeke, should not be being like that. Is old and in the past, should not be worrying you of such things, da? Am old merchant man now, is behind me." He follows up on himself with a stiff happy tone, the smile on his face looks a bit too forced for me to feel comfortable around. I purse my lips together for a few moments before sighing, raising a hand up to clasp at his shoulder with a soft squeeze.

"Hey, sometimes people do bad things for good reasons, you just wanted to look after your mom, right? There isn't anything wrong with that at least." I speak softly with a small smile on my face, in an attempt to comfort him. He blinks once, then twice, the smile on his face looks like its turning a bit more honest as he chuckles.

"Oy, are you forgettings how old I am? Am perfectly aware of myself and other moral things, bwahahaha!" He laughs jovially as he wraps an arm around my neck, yanking me closer in a one armed hug. The 'hug' feels more like a choke hold, his arm squeezing around my neck as he continues his loud laughter.

"Urk, okay, okay! Lemme go you old fuck!" I struggle to choke out, tapping at his arms with a hand. He holds me there for a while longer before letting go, gasping in deep breaths of air as I glare at the chuckling man. Tsk, the little bastard.

'**Ah fuck, that fucking hurt! Why's this old fart still got muscle on him? What's he eating?'**

"Bahahah! Is big surprise, da? Old sell sword Gerome still be havings some strength left." He says aloud with a bright grin on his face, flexing an arm at me with a wink. I huff and roll my eyes, rubbing at my throat with a wince. Fuck, the grandpa has bite.

"Really? I didn't realise, wanna try to choke me out again?" I sneer at the man, sarcasm dripping off of my tongue, rolling my eyes again as he laughs boisterously. Despite the pain in my throat, I still smile anyways, it's nice to chat to a friend even for a while.

'**Who knows when you're gonna see him again, dear little 'wanderer'.'**

"Oy, am not thinking that young Zeke be meaning that, but now you know of the dark past of Gerome. I'd be makings you pay for it, but Anna would have my hide." We both snicker and fall into silence, a faint smile on my face as I sit back, just relaxing and _enjoying _the ride. I guess Gerome was right, you do get used to this eventually, still not exactly excited at the thought of riding something like this again in the future, if its needed anyways, but at least it's an experience.

"Oy, would Zeke be minding some questions of my own?" My ears twitch upwards as Gerome pipes up, tilting my head as I look at him. There was a small change in the way he spoke at the end of that question, a very small one, but it was there.

'**I immediately dislike all of this, I don't trust this old crusty bastard.'**

"Of course! Shoot your shot Gerome, ask me anything." I reply casually, leaning back into the wagon as I give him a grin. Come on Adrian, Gerome isn't that bad!

'**My neck still hurts, just cause he's a 'friend' to you doesn't mean that he's on your si-'**

Shh, he's gonna speak!

"Zeke was, very ungood person in past too, da? Gerome do not have good feelings of Templars, and is what you _were_."" He asks slowly, as if treading over his words as he looks ahead, a blank look on his face as he side eyes me. I let out a soft sigh as my ears flatten, laxly pressing my back against the wagon. Fantastic, just what I wanted to talk about this morning.

'**Hurrah, more useless angsty thoughts from you, 'hur my past big bad, must remember though!' Seriously, it's getting on my fucking nerves.'**

You and me both, Adrian. Only makes my throat feel like it's smattered with fucking _bile._

'**A fact that I'm well aware of, by the way, it feels fucking gross.'**

"Pfah, should've figured that might've been brought up. Did Anna tell you about that or something?" I reply with a question of my own, letting out a soft sigh as the elder man nods. I figured they'd talk every so often, did I just not notice them speak or something? Bah, besides that.

"Yeah, you know all about how I can't exactly remember much of it, but some things leak through, all that I really recall is some of the 'jobs' I've done, and who I've worked with. It really isn't much, I was _very _far from the best person after all, can't do much about it though." I finally answer his question with a shrug, looking up to the sky above. The sun shines brightly in the clear sky through the leafy canopy, my eyes squinting to shield the rays that leak through the branche and trees to shine on my face. The sun rays are at least _kind of _warm, that's a pleasant feeling.

"Ah, Gerome be understanding you, how is that makings you feel?" He continues to ask me, an oddly gentle and soft tone in his voice. I bite back a scoff, the furrow of my eyebrows not solely due to the sun that shines. Is he trying to be a therapist for me or some shit? I don't like the feeling of someone feeling compelled to try to look after me.

'**I can feel that wounded pride of yours, its rather sad isn't it? Maybe Edward has a hand in this, the mans **_**awfully **_**concerned for you. It'd be humorous if it wasn't pathetic, you're meant to be a man aren't you? Why are people looking after you like you're a fucking fragile child?'**

Pfah, it's one thing to chide me for being like this, but I'd rather you _not _bring our friends into it. Even _if _Edward brought it up to Gerome, then it would've been out of the worry of his own heart, he's a friend after all. It doesn't make sense for him to do that to begin with, Edward knows he could just ask me himself, Geromes probably just wondering about it himself. Could've been thinking about it for a while actually, he doesn't exactly like Templars after all...

"Oy, am understanding if you need time to think, no rushings." Geromes thick and low voice brings me out of my thoughts, an embarrassed flushed feeling burning my face as I wave a hand. Fuck, stuck in my thoughts again, I need to stop doing that.

'**Ditzy little fuck, as is the norm with you.'**

"Ah, I'm not thinking that much about it! Just, caught up in other thoughts is all, sorry about that, it happens a lot, eheh." I apologise with an awkward smile on my face, rubbing at the back of my neck as I look to the man. Ah fuck, this feels so fucking awkward, and I have no idea why.

"Bahahah, is okay young Zeke, head be being in the clouds is all. How is Zeke feelings about it?" He gives me a cheerful and friendly smile as he looks my way, pressing the question again. The awkward feeling in my chest dies down as I shuffle around, hunched over as I hum.

"Mn, I'm not really sure to be honest. I feel like I've spent a lot of time needlessly worrying over it, but with how it's come to bite me in the ass, part of me think it's justified. I _want _to learn more, but I also just wanna focus on other things from now on, and other people. It's odd, and I dunno if that's just me overthinking it to a disgusting degree or not." I splurge out to the man honestly, shrugging soon after, looking up and facing ahead. The wagon bobs and rattles on what feels like an unsafe bit of road, the horse letting out a distraught neigh. Gerome hums and grips at the reins, fists clenching as he keeps a firm grip on it, steadying the horse.

"Is troubling for Zeke, yes indeed, Gerome believes he can make it through. Like rough patch in road, be keeping good hold on self and others, and will be pushing through just fine, yes?" He replies with a cheerful grin. I blink once, then twice, giving him an uncomfortable feeling smile as I nod. I uh, I think that was meant to be an analogy with what _just _happened and with myself, I don't think it was a very good one.

'**Pfeh, it was pretty fucking bad.'**

I don't have the heart to tell him that it sounds kind of poor to listen to, but I do appreciate the thought behind it though, there's some truth in the matter at least. At least it was a simple enough message

"You've my thanks at least, Gerome, it's been nice to catch up with a friend." I jump the topic with a polite tone and smile, a gentle 'hint hint nudge nudge' really. No offense to the man of course, I do appreciate the effort, even if it was a bit awkward.

"Bah, am not wanting any worrying from Zeke! Friend is friend, always will be! Zeke does not seem like man who'd take advantage of friend, da?"

"Wha? Me? Of course not! I'm not one to be scheming after all." I huff lightly as Gerome lets out a boisterous laugh, one of his rough and time worn hands clasping down on my shoulder with a firm, almost rough shaking.

"See? Young Zeke is good kid in heart! Do not be worrying over self too much, da? Is bad for mind." He says aloud with a mirthful chuckle, a warming grin on his face that I mirror myself. We both turn silent for a while, he himself returning to paying attention to the road ahead while I let out a relaxing sigh, resting against the wagon once more. After being on this thing for a while, the shock of the movement does eventually fade, it's not quite a comforting feeling, but there's a satisfying rhythm to it. Almost anyways, at least I can see how he tolerates this shit.

'**You're rather lax around a man whos shown that he can catch us off guard and **_**overpower **_**us to an extent, what is it that you thought just a while ago? 'Grandpas got bite' or something along those lines?'**

So? I think you're being a bit paranoid Adrian. Sure, he's strong, but he's still old, he probably doesn't wanna put out too much energy, hence why he's a merchant now instead of a mercenary.

'**Of course I'm being paranoid, I **_**have **_**to, to keep us safe. I just don't think it's a good idea to be so casual around him is all.'**

I know, that's your 'job', isn't it? As well as insulting me, you love that part of the job don't you?

'**Course I do dumbass, it's fun.'**

And it's needed and I want it, yadda yadda, I get it.

'**Your bark's worse than your bite, mutt.'**

Speaking of mutts, do you think dogs are a thing here? And cats, cats too, I've been wondering about that for a while and I don't _think _I've seen one that counts as a pet.

'**I feel like my job is being undermined by the eccentricity of your thoughts, theyre as muddled as your memories. As for dogs and whatnot, fuck if I know, I can only really know what **_**you **_**know, remember?'**

Ah, don't be like that! Your existence is a begrudgingly welcomed one, as prickish as you are, theres a sort of… strange feeling that weighs in my head, knowing that somethings looking after me, like a dickish guardian angel. And that's not entirely true, there's some things that you instinctively know over me, remember?

'**Hmmf, I'm not sure how to feel about that, you're far too trusting, even to a reflection of yourself. And I suppose so, but thats because i can dredge up some meaningless memories, menial things like sports and shit.**

...Do you remember anything else about me? From home, I mean, anything at al.

'**Shit like that eludes me, I'd say sorry if I cared enough.'**

Ah, right, I guess that was a bit too much to ask. I sigh and rub at an eye, pushing up my drooping eyelids and shaking my head. The heart in my chest feels heavy, and the cold wind that brushes over me feels numb against my body. Well fuck, now I've just made myself sad haven't I? I guess I'm not _really _over the whole past nonsense, not much I can do about it.

'**Pfah, feeling your sadness irritates me, lets change the topic to something that doesn't feel like a brick attached to my foot.'**

Heh, knew you cared just that little bit Adrian.

'**I'd tell you to perish slowly, but I wouldn't wanna feel the pain myself, and I care more about me than you. Even **_**if **_**I'm latched onto your brain.'**

I hold down a snicker, my lips curling upwards as I hum softly. Hm, am I forgetting anyone? Ah, that's right.

"Oh, by the by Gerome, hows Vector?" I suddenly pipe up, the man jolting with a start, I guess I caught him off guard. He hums in surprise, raising an eyebrow.

"Gerome is not following, what does Zeke mean by that?" He looks as clueless as I feel, raising an eyebrow to match him.

"As in, is he okay? He was kinda shook up a bit ago, I'd ask him if he's okay myself, but he's as chattable as stone." I clarify with an awkward smile, clasping my hands together softly, a thumb idly rubbing at a hand. I guess I did jump him with the question, so he'd have no idea what I'm talking about.

'**The only person who can read your mind is me, dumbass.'**

I know, I'm well aware, I guess it slipped my mind after 'talking' to you, I wonder how that looks to an outsider anyways.

"...Gerome still does not follow, what would Vector be shooken up by?" He questions me, blinking with a continued confused expression. I blink, the gears in my skull processing the information. Oh, did, did Vector _not _tell him what happened? I thought he'd have told him _everything _with how those two are. How odd.

'Sounds like the brooding pale bastard has something to hide, even from his best friend.'

"I guess he didn't tell you, he and Edward were roughed up a bit by some random strangers, dunno who they are for sure, but apparently they might've been paid off by someone to do it. Any ideas on who they are?" I shuffle in my seat as I peer into Geromes eyes, the old man furrows his brows as he exhales softly, a deep hum coming from his throat as he looks away for a few moments.

"...Gerome be having ideas, but will have to talk to Vector soon, thank you for telling me, young Zeke. Am worried about man, is very close friend, you understand da?" He speaks in a low and grave voice at the beginning, the serious expression on his face turning into a friendly and polite one at the end.

"Uh, okay, sorry if I brought you unneeded worry though Gerome, I thought you knew about it is all." I apologise with a small frown on my face, the man snickering and waving his hand.

"Ah, Gerome is old man, can handle stress, have been in this line of work for years after all! Thank you, though, Vector is important to me." Again with his solemn ways of speaking, its too god damn serious coming from the mostly jolly sounding man.

"Bah, I'm sure Vector doesn't mean any harm from it, he probably just didn't want you to be too worried about it. It is kinda odd though, but if there's an issue where you need an extra hand, I'm always here to help ya!" I affirm the man with a one armed hug, giving him a bright grin and a thumbs up. I truly mean that, it's not as if he hasn't asked me for _worse _anyways, so what's one more task for a friend?

'**Pfah, what a dangerous way of thinking for one such as you, it'll get both of our asses in danger in some way. What happened with trying to look after yourself some more? You have 'responsibilities' now, after all.'**

Come on, I'm not so dense that I can't recognise danger Adrian, I can handle myself. Besides, I at least have you with me right? That's something

"Oy, just means that young Zeke is very good friend indeed, da? Will be thinking about it, hoping it's not needed." He replies with a dismissive wave and a grin, his arm wrapping around my shoulder in a returned hug. I gently pull away from the man after a while, hiding a wince as my shoulder throbs in a slight pain. Fucking hell, I feel sorry for whoever had to tussle with this fucker if this is what he's like _now_. I open my mouth to speak, my throat clenching as an unsavoury stench wafts in the air, cutting through the otherwise gentle smell of the forest like a disgusting rusty blade.

I shift in my seat and furrow my brows, focusing in on the source of the thing. What is that smell? It's putrid and off putting, although familiar. Slaves? No, not slaves, doesn't smell like them at all.

'**It smells of burning, not too unlike charred flesh and wood.'**

"Gonna dip, gotta talk to Edward." I say stiffly to the old man before pulling myself off of the cart, stumbling to stand upright before making my way down the wagon, Geromes yelling falling mutely on my twitching ears. The hairs on the back of my neck raises as my heart beats quickly, darting around the end of the wagon and jogging towards the other. Edward lags behind Vectors wagon, his armour shifting with his movements, though his face is covered by the back of Lucys head, the two discussing _something, _though I can't exactly focus on it.

"Gonna break up the party here, we need to talk Edward." I choke out through my stiff throat as I approach, Edwards once relaxed face morphing into a stoic and serious one, Lucys hair flapping around as she twists her neck to face me, a pout on her face.

"Awh, come ooooon! We were just gettin go-"

"What's the situation, Zeke?" Lucy huffs and mumbles to herself as shes cut off, her head disappearing behind the cloth flaps. I look around, a paranoid feeling in my chest as I move closer to whisper to him.

"I smell burning, like wood and skin, do you think that another wagon could've been attacked? Do you think we can try to help them?" I speak lowly in a hurried tone, ears flattening as I rest a hand on my hilt.

"It's possible, but we are not to deviate from our original objective, we are to protect our charge and naught else. If we were to leave these citizens alone, then they'd be at a far greater risk. I know you _want _to help them Zeke, but you have to think clearly here, we can't leave them."

"Are we just gonna leave them then? What if there's people who're still alive, or in pain? Isn't it right to try to help them?"

"At the risk of others, and ourselves? Zeke, _you've _already been hurt far more than I'd have wished, I know you've a hero complex of sorts, but it's not _our _job. Were it possible to do so without risking either, I'd gladly come, but protecting these merchants are _our _job."

"Then don't come, I can handle myself, and Lucy at least is far from defenceless as long as she has mana reserves and energy to spare."

"Zeke, I fucking _forbid _you from darting off alone, especially at this time."

"Come _on _Edward! I want to help them, if there's people to help at least. I won't get into trouble, just at least let me try to scout it out."

"You lack the restraint to merely 'scout' Zeke, we both know that. You can't just blindly run off into danger again."

"If someone needs help, then _someone _should try at least, it's what's right!"

"Regardless of if it's 'right', it's still a danger at our detriment. If you were to be harmed without me to help, you'd be within arms reach of an enemy dammit."

"Pfah, this is gonna turn into a fucky back and forth, isn't it? I can still smell it, it's stronger than before, we're probably closer to it than before. Just let me go ahead for a bit, I _promise _that I'll be okay, I have reasons to come back after all." I puff out my chest with a smug grin as I look down to him, his face a dark grimace as he furrows his brows. He lets out a deep sigh as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

"You stubborn son of a bitch. Fine, fucking fine. If you don't get back here safely I'll have your fucking head O-Zeke, Zeke. I said Zeke." I tilt my head, his little lapse in speech is… odd, as is the grave tone that he spoke it all in. Is he talking about someone else? His brother? Pfah, it doesn't matter.

"I promised you I'll be safer, and I'll hold myself to it, I swear on it." I try to proclaim firmly, giving him a resolute nod as I clench a fist. He sighs again, still pinching the bridge of his nose before motioning his head.

"What are you still doing here then Fuzz? Get going, and don't forget your shield." I nod again and twist around, moving towards the back of Geromes wagon and yanking myself past its flaps. I try to lightly land on the unsteady wooden ground of the dark insides of the wagon, rapidly blinking eyes looking towards the still heap of cloth, green and purple rising and falling with steady breaths. I slow my own breathing, creeping as silently as I can to grasp at the metal sheet of a shield. I keep a worried eye on the pile as I back off from it, pushing the flaps open and dipping out of the wagon.

I let out a thankful sigh as my feet hit the ground with an unsteady landing, hand clutching at the insides of the shield as I stand up right. Kid deserves a good sleep, there's not much she can do to be entertained anyways. I shake my head to clear my thoughts, there's no time for distractions, I gotta get running.

I turn and run into a sprint, forcing my legs to move as quick as I can, passing the wagon quickly, Gerome yells once more but it sounds muted yet again. I feel sweat form on my forehead as I focus in on the stench. Fuck, it smells awful, would there even be anyone left alive? Too late to turn back now.

The smell grows stronger and stronger, though at least I feel accustomed enough to it to not feel bile building in my throat, forcing my legs into a sprint for a while feels like my muscles burning, but I can't let up. Not until I find the source.

'**Literally sprinting straight into danger, fan-fucking-tastic, odds are there ain't gonna be anyone left alive.'**

I ignore Adrians sarcastic noting, shaking my head to rid myself of the thought. There's gotta be someone, or at least a clue at what's going on. I squint my eyes as I stare into the distance of the dirt road, my sight can't see what's going on, but there's a whole lotta brown with few trees on either side of the path. I can't see it, but I can definitely smell it, as much as it makes me want to retch, there's a nervous swelling in my chest that isn't _just _from disgust. Well, fuck.

I swallow the bile in my throat as I approach, whips of smokes flutter in the air as the crackle of fire burns at the bits of wood scattered across the road, the embered remains of it smattered against the dirt. My sight trails up from the wood, my eyes widening as I cover my mouth, holding back a gasp and a gag, eyes watering at the sight of the remains.

Oh my fucking god, I...

Fuck. I swallow down the building puke in my throat, it's a disgusting sour taste that lingers in my throat, I can _feel _it slide down into my stomach. I squeeze my eyes shut and rub at them with the palms of my hands, wiping away the painful tears as best as I can. I reluctantly open them as I step forwards, drawing my sword in a shaky hand as I hold my shield to my chest. My ears flicker as my heart beats faster, looking around with a sense of _fear _running up my spine. I'm stepping past and over the scattered and charred remains of fucking _humans_, Jesus fucking Christ.

'**Tsk, such a worthless waste of life, and for what reason? Savages, I say, at least now we know what innards looks like when they're outside of the body! Don't step on anyone by the way.'**

Do you need to be so fucking disgusting Adrian? Eaugh. I purse my lips together as I inch forward, looking around with a paranoid fever. Fuck, this was a mistake, this was a terrible terrible mistake, fuck fuck fuck.

I freeze still as a loud _crunch _fills my ears, the muscles in my body unmoving as my blood runs cold, the sound of something wet filling the air as I look towards the source.

I look at the burnt wooden remains of a wagon, there's too much wood around here to just have been from a single one, every nerve in my body flared as I stare, like a deer in the headlights. A dark brown, almost black furred figure rises from behind the black wood, red liquid drenching the fur around his snout and chest as it pours out from between his teeth. The black pits of his eyes gazes into me, a feral look within the otherwise emotionless depths, his face turning from snarl into a sneer, his teeth as drenched in red as his fur is. I stare into the man unblinkingly as he continues to stand upright, throwing his head back with a disgusting _gulp_. He holds a bloody stump in one hand and a deadly sharp spear in the other, dropping the stump, an overly audible wet _plop _that cuts through the silence.

He holds that disgustingly proud looking stare as his grin widens to an almost sickening degree, raising his head high and pushing out a howl. It echoes in my skull and ears, I can _feel _myself rattle as it fills the air. A cacophonous disgusting symphony of howls echo the _savage _in reply, the faint beating of feet against dirt filling my ears.

Oh _fuck_.


	37. Chapter 37

A guttural growl comes from the beast as he grips at the destroyed carcass of a wagon, its shattered remains shuddering with the weight of the beast as he leaps over it, his spear clutched in a hand as he moves with a feral fervour, lunging forward with a savage grin on his face. I feel numb, oh so numb, but I manage to bring my shield up to my chest, the tipper of his spear clanging off it with a shrieking sound, metal striking metal. My ears flattens against my neck as the shrieking noise echoes into the air, shoving myself into him, my shield smashing against his chest.

I just want space, please get away from me you _fucking_ _thing_. He stumbles backwards and into the ruined wagon, the charred bits of wood bending underneath his weight. I step away from the beast as he recovers, my chest heaving with a nervous breath as I twist my head to look around. I heard steps, there were others here and approaching, more beastly mutts, where are they? I know they're fucking here!

'**Hey fuck nugget, how bout you calm down and focus on the prick in front of us? You're the one that got us into this mess **_**again, **_**you're gonna get us out of it.'**

What!? What the fuck do you mean 'calm down'? These fuckers just _ate _someone, what the fuck!? Oh god, they're gonna eat my next, I'm next! I try my best to focus on the keidran as he rises from the ruins, his snout curled into a snarl as he barks, the snarl staining his face as he holds his spear in two hands, his beady eyes squinting as he keeps his distance. Has he learned his lesson? What's he doing? The hair on the back of my neck stands on end as a troubled feeling stirs in my chest, out of the side eye, another being appears, a brown furred thing. Fantastic, the _fucking dishonourable coward's _friends appeared. Fucking _beasts_, fuck fuck fuck!

'**More from behind.'**

A shuddering huff pushes itself out of my chest as I hear movement from behind me, a quick twist of the head to see a crouching wolf, another brown one. My heart thunders in my chest as I shiver, looking to the initial kiedran with a grimace. The snarl on his face almost looks smug, an _accomplished look _from the bastard. Fuck, fuck fuck fuck, why did I do this? Why did I try to be a mother fucking hero? Zeke you dumb mother fucke-

'**Focus you walking fucking mistake!'**

Adrians shouting abruptly brings me out of my thoughts, gritting my teeth together as I shield another stab from the black beast, a shaky hand swinging at him with my blade, the beast pulling backwards before it connects. My teeth chatter as he lets out a low howl, the keidran circling around me with a sneer on his face. I look around, the others are doing the same, I've been fucking surrounded by these _things. _My chest clenches as my breathing hastens, oh god, fuck fuck. This isn't good, this isn't fun, this isn't fighting with Edward, these are fucking _animals _that want to kill me. What do I do?

'**You fight back, you beat them, you win. I don't know why I need to say this to an adult, let alone **_**you, **_**but this isn't a friendly scrap with a friend. This is a fight to the death.'**

But, I don't want to kill them, surely I can scare them off right? Beat the leader, the rest disappear? Is that how wolves work? Why can't I remember? Why do I feel the need to _tear them apart?_

'**Bah, you're as savage as these fuckers, I'm ashamed to be a part of you.'**

My eyes sting as I twist my head left and right, the keidran a blur through the tears that stain my vision, teeth chattering as my heart continues to thunder in my chest. Adrian, _please help me_, I don't like this anymore.

'**..Pfah, you know I'm always here to help you, always have been. You need to calm down before they strike, luckily for you, they're playing with their food for whatever reason, I reckon they're getting off to this in a way.'**

I take in a deep breath as I shake my head, clearing my thoughts and the tears. Alright, fuck, I'll try Adrian, what next?

'**Well, we're in the open and alone, and the only eyes that you have in the back of your head is me. I suppose it could be worse, behind you.'**

I stand upright and twist behind me, another spearhead glancing off of the flat of my shield, a renewed feeling of fervour in my chest as I take a step forward, driving the edge of my blade into the keidrans leg. It lets out a pained howl as it scoots away, growling as it holds its spear in two hands with a limp. The other two growl in tandem, the nervous feeling returning and burrowing itself into my chest.

'**They're not too different from humans, you could've gone for a more deadly strike there to put it out of the fight.'**

Fuck, I think I might've poked the hornets nest here. Do you think that I can manage this without a casualty? As long as I stay in control, I can drive them off and out of the way for the rest of the group, Mabel especially. I just need to be in control of this, I _need to be in control_.

'**You're fucking joking right? You've seen these pricks **_**eating **_**people, they're **_**animals**_ **and savages that don't deserve to live.'**

The mental conversation's cut short as the black one rushes forward, arms raised high with his snarl still on his face, the faint sound of feet against dirt to my side forcing my ears to twitch.. I feel my eyes squint as I block the strike, sliding past him and driving my shield into his side, shoving him into his oncoming friend. A delighted feeling ignites in my chest as they collide, okay, this is okay, or at least better than before. The two bark and one another in their guttural language, a displeasured look on their face before they turn to me. They're simple, they're so fucking _simple_, if they actually used the element of surprise, I don't think I'd be standing.

_They're fucking animals who only know to beat their sticks into others skulls. _

A smile creeps onto my face as I stare up to them, the limping one moving into a blinded charge again. I shift myself to the right, the tip of the spear sliding past me as I step forward once more. Spears, they're _so boring to fight_. The keidrans pained grunt fills my eyes as I drive the edge of my shield into his stomach, the once tall standing looking man dropping onto his knees, _a hateful look in his eyes as he looks up to me, what feels like a melancholic fog falling onto my mind. _

...Maybe Adrians right? Maybe my heart's right? These are terrible abhorrent people who've done awful deeds, and in a world like this they wouldn't be brought to justice anyways, who's to say that they wouldn't take my mercy as a second chance to do what they want? These, these things_, they're not really human, are they? They're keidran._

_Maybe he has a point, they're just animals, minnows with no real purpose in the greater scheme of things__**. **__Cutting them down now would be a mercy to others, they're just keidran. Who else would they harm if they were given the chance? Women, children? Would they laugh in their simple minded barks as they scream for mercy? If they'd eat the corpses of their enemies, I wouldn't want to imagine what they'd do to the ones that still live. _

_Maybe that man has a point… what was his name again? The guardsman? _Everything feels so light and cold, the fog continues to weigh on my mind, I, he's important right? I'm meant to know that dude. I don't want him to die, whatever his name might be. I don't want to die, I don't want to die! Not again, not to the dark depths! No, there's someone else isn't there? Am I forgetting them? It was some girl, she was important right? Or, is she important? I think she is, is that why she lingers on my mind so much?

_What would they do to her, if they got their grimy little hands on her? I can't let that happen, not now and not ever. _

_Something snaps, and all of those worries feel so __**meaningless**__. I know what I need to do._

_I look down to the feral being with a sneer, an elated feeling flooding my veins, twisting my blade in my hands before driving it into its chest. Its paws clutches at my sword feebly, emotions I care not to understand fluttering behind its eyes as I wiggle it within its chest. It's 'friends' stare on for whatever reason, perhaps their basic mind derived delight from this? My smile widens as the savage gurgles, wriggling the blade within his chest for a few moments longer before dragging it out of him. An odd yet welcoming feeling in my chest as I slowly draw my sword its chest, the blood coating steel dripping off of it and into the dirt beneath us as it whimpers, tears filling and clouding its once hate filled eyes as I raise my blade up high, a single downward swipe hacking into the mutts skull. I leave it embedded there for a few moments longer, the squishy squelching that comes from it as I force the blade to jiggle inside it, slowly dragging it out once more. Blood flows from the opened wounds freely, staining the ground a gorgeous bloody red, mixing with the dirt beneath us. The corpse thuds against the road, a puft of dirt rising from the impact as I flick my wrist, the blood from the thing that coats my steel is a disgusting muddied one, best to clean it as well as possible in the moment lest it manages to corrupt the metal. _

_I stare at the remaining two with a proud and warm feeling in my limbs, raising the tip of my sword upwards, jabbing the tip of it towards their chest._

"_You're next." I declare to them with a determined tone in my voice as I ready myself, shield covering the front of me as I hold my trusted friend by my side. No doubt that these things don't understand me, but the growls that come from them fills me with glee. If they truly cared, they'd have stepped in sooner, do these things even feel emotions beyond their basic ones? The buzzing in the back of my skull returns and burns in my mind, but won't heed its call, I know what I'm doing. I won't give these animals another moment to continue their despicable and mindless campaign._

_A low snicker forces itself through my throat as the dark one continues to bark its needless chattering to his insignificant subordinate, whatever low minded scheming these wastes can muster. They continue to hold their distance, spear tips raised and prepared to be lodged into my chest. Tsk, fucking spears, they really are fucking boring, cowardly weapons for a cowardly group of people. If they're not coming to me, I'll go to them instead!_

_I grip my sword and board in hand as the muscles in my leg tense, pushing myself forward and straight into them, keeping my shield in front of me. I feel my smile widen as the lesser brown mutt panics, dropping their metal stick as they grab at their leader. They're fucking frightened, as they should be. There's a humming noise that fills my ears as my vision turns blue, shaking off the distractions as I reach them. The leaders dropped his spear tip to bark at the other, neither are prepared any more. Tsk, I was hoping for a fight. _

_A flash of blue blinds my vision as I take a swing at them, lacking both the sound and feeling of impact, of steel slicing flesh. I growl to myself as I squeeze my eyes shut, rubbing at them hastily to clear the blinding light before looking around, the blood in my veins burning as I feel myself grimace._

"_Cowards! Mutts! Disgusting filthy things!" I screech aloud as I twist and turn, ignoring the frothing of my own mouth. Where are they? Where'd they go? Don't run from a fight you insignificant whelps, this is a fight to the death, for whatever meaningless honour you things have left! I stifle a grunt as a pained clutching feeling wraps itself around my skull, reaching up and squeezing at my skull with a hand. No! Don't you dare disturb my job! There's a creeping feeling that skitters up my spine, my heart skipping a beat as the chill that it brings reaches its apex. My sword hand shakes, squeezing the hilt of it does little to lessen it, no! I know what I'm doing, these scattered cannibalistic monsters deserve this! If you're not helping me, then you're as worthless as the rest of them. _

_A smile creeps on my face, a tingling and warm feeling returning to my chest as I stand upright, the niggling that continues to slither in my heads at least good for something. I twist behind me to stare at the bastards, the dust beneath them kicked up as they stand beside their friends corpse, the black furred leader hunched over the still body. Teleportation, huh? I'd be impressed if they were more worthy, and if it could be pushed further. Such limitations from a common keidran, bound to the equivalent of mana crystal scraps. The brown furred ones snout opens and closes in what seems like a chant as he glows blue once again, the leaders snarl still plain on his face as he stands upright, spear tip held in front of him. _

_My eyes linger on the brown one for a few moments longer, a strange feeling stirring in my chest as I examine the magical energies that encircle him, the fingers clutching around my sword and shield feeling numb. I, what? What is this feeling? Am I scared? I growl and shake my head, no, I won't be intimidated by these things, they're not worthy of such a thing. It finishes its incantations, stifling a yelp as I barely move out of the way of a ball of fire, the heat of the flames feeling as if it singes my fur, the smoke that lingers in the air filling my lungs as I glare at them. Tsk, bloody magic users, I'd call them disgusting if I wouldn't feel like a hypocrite from it. Am I to muster up the magic to put it down like its friend? Not from this range, I'd imagine, loath as I am to admit pathetic long range magic capabilities from myself, much to my dismay. Though I wish to separate their heads from their bodies, I'd rather not be caught up with the brute whilst being pelted with magic. That's a foolish venture, I won't dare to lose a drop of blood to these things, what else could I do, though..?_

_A thought stirs in my mind, the thought turns to an idea, and my lips curl upwards into a snarl as I chuckle to myself. You wish to hide your magic behind your 'friend', huh? It finishes another incantation and tosses another fireball towards me, twisting to move out of the way of the orb, I twist and turn, the muscles in my arm tensing alongside my body as I throw my arm forward, the sword singing in the air as I let go with a heavy swing, it spins and curves in the air, and both the steel and blood that splays from its blade glitters in the sunlight. The larger wolf doesn't react in time, and neither does his comparatively lanky friend, his eyes widening as the blade lodges itself in his chest, his face frozen as he drops to his knees. The black keidran looks on for a split moment before dropping to his friends side, pulling him into his chest as he barks to him. _

_I can't help but feel… disappointed almost, a small feeling of boredom filling my chest as I look on to the two of them, it almost looks as if they're sharing a moment between each other. Truly? That's how these guardsmen fell? To these simple minded fools who barely know how to not run into their deaths? The only one worthy of actually being looked at would be the more magically inclined one, begrudging as I am to admit it, at least he was smart enough to try to reposition himself. I hum to myself as I flex my hand, the internal leathering of the glove feels heated and warm, maybe I need to handicap myself, to bring myself to their level… _

_But they're beasts, savage animals with very little going on in their minds, what honour do they deserve beyond their lives to be ended by a superior man? The brown furred one finally falls limp against the black one, it shudders for a brief moment as he clutches at the corpse, looking up to me with hazy looking eyes and a snarl on his face. Hm, I guess they do have some feeling inside their deadened body, the more you know. He grips at the sword that rests inside his friends chest, barking softly to him before pulling it from his body, the corpse falling limply onto the dirt as he holds the blade, drenched in a crimson red as he holds the tip towards my chest, his spear dropping onto the corpse._

_A morbid feeling of amusement washes over me as I snicker, I guess it's got a sense of humour, perhaps it'd be a good jester in another life, if not a leader for its motley band in its current one. I hold my shield upright, clenching my hand once more. At least I get to beat another keidran into the dirt, it's been so long, how exciting! Perhaps this might get my heart truly pumping. My smile twitches upwards as he bellows a booming howl, the hitching of his voice mid screeching is not lost on me, hah, perhaps these things are capable of loving thought. I'm genuinely surprised. He lunches forward with a feverous need, desperate yet disheartened sounding growling coming from his throat as he sprints forward. I can't smile at how distraught this brute sounds although it brings me some amusement, entirely due to how simple he continues to act, trying to charge me again? Really? _

_I sigh and bring myself forward, raising my shield upwards to block the strike. I can't help but continue to feel bored from this, surrounded on all sides should've been an exciting fight to bring them all down, and yet they fell over like chess pieces. The appropriated blade strikes against my shield with a harsh clanging, my eyes going wide as a sudden shock rips down my arm like a bolt of lightning, gritting my teeth as my eyes go wide, dropping my arm and dashing away from the mad beast into a crouching position. It salivates and froths at its muzzle with a ragged and animalistic fury, its lips curled upwards in a savage sneer. I grimace as I feel my arm hang limp, numb and unfeeling to myself, it feels as if the very marrow of my fucking bones been ruptured with that strike, by the fucking masks. It's disgusting and hollow laugh echoes in my ears as they twitch, reaching up with my working arm and gripping at the side of the shield, dragging it from my stunned feeling hand. _

_I slide my more dominant arm underneath the metal plating, gripping at the straps underneath with a strange need brewing in my chest, letting my now, hopefully temporarily, useless arm fall limp by my side as I hold my useful one up to my chest, staring at the lone survivor with a squinting glare. Heh, maybe this things still got some strength left in its desperate body, I'm almost impressed. Its anguished howl rings out in the air once more, lunging forward with another sense of desperation behind it. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. It goes for another wild and savage swing, it's no different from before, leaning away from the swing with my body, bringing my shield up to block the strike at a softer angle, a glancing blow redirected by the still sturdy metal. I'm not quite sure what this type of shield ought to be good at, but it's acceptable enough at the very least. _

_The strike goes wide, his aim flying up and away from my body as a grin rises on my face. You're right where I want you brute, all brawn and no dexterity. I shove myself forward with my shield raised, smashing the metal against the bastards snout, a pained whine filling my ears afterwards, a delighted glee filling my chest as he stumbles away on unsteady feet, a hand raised to massage and knead at his bleeding nose. He's too large for his own good, for a hunter of humans __**like the degenerate bastard he is**__, I'd have that he'd have something up his sleeve beyond more muscle. I continue to push forward, jabbing the tip of the shield into his side. It doesn't piece his flesh, but the pained grunt that comes from him forces my thundering heart to beat faster and faster, blood pushing through my veins alongside it like a continuous shot of adrenaline. Such a joyous sound, how delightful! __**Whine for me you cannibalistic waste of skin! **__My grin widens as the brute beings to flounder with the stolen sword, wildly swinging it his writhing body like a hunk of metal, darting in and away from the bandit, like podding the animal with a metal rod, his angered roars a sweet song in my ears as he finally recuperates properly. A grimace graces my lips as the tip of the blade slices into my chest, digging in and tearing at the poorly made cloth as I barely manage to pull away. I squint as I look down, tugging at the shirt with my shielded hand, the cut going from stomach to shoulder. To think if I were a little bit closer, I'd have lost blood to this waste, I can't let myself be tarnished by this thing. _

_I furrow my brow as I look up to the panting wolf, the thing heaving and gasping for air, winded from the waste of energy. He pants like the dog that he is as he glares up to me, a twitching hand clutching at the bloodied blade, something about him trying to kill me with the same sword I used on his friends is deliciously poetic. Such an impossible need, how delightful! I roll my shoulder as I try to regain feeling in my left arm, my fingertips twitching to my needs, still far from useful, but at least I can feel something through the numbness of my rattled bones. _

_Right, I've had enough of this thing, I ought to end it sooner rather than later, and I've just a fine idea for it. The grin on my face feels malicious as I rummage through my pocket, clutching at the crystal within, a dull pulsating feeling travelling up my hand. It's almost soothing in a way, it calms my beating heart, but not the drive of the fire that burns in my chest. I keep it clenched in my hand as I retrieve it, feeling it dig into the leather palm of my glove as I approach. It growls and holds my sword upwards, unsteady and needy takes of breaths forces the weapon to wobble in his shaky hands, grin widening as a flash of blue encompasses my vision, the feeling of the chilly slithering of magic travelling up my arm is a welcome discomfort considering what I require it for. _

_The mutt continues to heave for air, stepping forth with a warning swipe that goes far too short. I snort and snicker as I continue to approach, the beast backing off as I do so, it's a sword, not a spear you intoxicating feeling of magic brings a dose of pain that shoots through my muddled skull, a confusing but wondrous mix of pleasure and pain that resides by each other as I hold my hands to my chest, blue snake of magic wrapped around them, flickering and building. The beast howls and rushes towards me, it seems that he's still winded, but somewhat recuperated, but it's entirely worthless. For this is __**magic.**_

_The magic continues to build in my chest, reaching a peak that roars for release. The beast swings once more, a desperation attack to dive for my throat. I jerk to the right to move out of the way, the flat of the blade barely whiffs below my nose , an overpowering stench of what smells like coppery rust emanating from it, teeth barred to the beast in a smirk. I drop my shield, the thudding of the metal on dirt filling my ears as I clutch at his sword hand, tugging it away from me as I raise my now free hand to grasp at his jaw and gripping it tightly. The feel of the fur beneath my gloves is a mattered and messy one, the rabid spittle that drools from him does little to help with that feeling. I freeze for a moment, my limbs feel as if a sudden weight has been latched onto them. This is not the moment for hesitation, this is the moment for a resolution, damn you! _

_The blue swirl of the magic that surrounds me flares up for a brief moment, a flash of blue ruptures my senses and connection to it for a brief moment, an ear-splitting screeching of a bang filling my ears for a split second before a sickening squelching noise. The furred wrist wrapped in my grasp is torn from me, a stinging feeling in my hand as the limp body soars away from me, a burst of red mist scattered and thrown into the air above, like a bloody curtain raised and splayed into the sky. I stare at the corpse as it clatters into the ground, more dirt clouds kicked up from the pile of meats impact, landing in a crumpled heap. The red mist drops onto the earth, a light coating of it dusting itself onto me along with it. I feel my nose scrunch up as I look down to myself, an odd feeling returning to sit in my chest as I do so. How, how odd, very odd indeed, I didn't think that'd happen, but I'm not going to argue with the results. I hum gently to myself as I lean down, grasping at the blood coated shield with a hand before waltzing over to the corpse, the wet feeling of my paw pads against it feels… off, actually, I feel rather off myself, why did I hesitate? Even for a moment? Mn, how concerning, I'll have to keep an eye on it later._

_I grip at the bloodied hilt with a shaky hand and flick the blade away, scattering the thin red sheen into the wind as I shove it into my sheath. I approach stiff carcass and look down to it, a gory messy display replacing his once wolfish skull, the scattered remains of bone and grey meat smattered across the ground, sinew and bone sticking out of the bloody stump. It's crimson blood pools around it, mingling and merging with the dirt, a brown stained concoction the result of it. The rush of the fervour of battle dies down in my veins, a feeling of fatigued weighing on my limbs as my eyelids flicker. I'm, _I'm tired. Where'd this feeling come from? _Where'd such sadness come from a wolf of all things/_

_Something stirs in my chest as I look down to the body, bringing up and staring at my shaky hand as I furrow my brow. Why am I shaking? This isn't normal, what's this feeling in my chest? Why does it feel as if a heavy burden was just shoved inside my skull? What's the reason for this abhorrent feeling? I did what was right, I put down people who would willingly do evil to other beings. I did what was right, _but Jesus Christ do I feel wrong.

_A flare of pain ignites in my skull, gritting my teeth as I grunt and press that unsteady hand up to my head, clutching at it desperately. I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head to clear those thoughts, opening my eyes to a blurred vision, a sniffle escaping my maw as I wipe at my eyes. I look down to my hands, the brown leather stained with droplets of water that wetten it. I, what? What is this? Why am I crying, there's nothing to cry about, _is there?

_I feel a grimace force itself on my face as I wipe the tears off of my shirt, a choking feeling rising in my throat alongside the bile, swallowing the acidic spit disdainfully. Another sniffle forces itself out of my throat as my vision blurs again, reaching up and swiping away the tears as best as I can. Each swipe only forces more to come up from it, my breathing turning into a wheezing gasping for air as I look down to the bloody mess that I've caused._

Oh god, what have I done? I did what was right, right? _Might makes right, I used my might to make it right, such savages wouldn't have listened to reason, though they wouldn't deserve it anyways. _Was there another way? There must've been some way, right? _Would that have mattered though? This is the path I've chosen, and I believe it to be right._

Is that actually true? Oh my god, what does this make me now? Am I a savage, a brute? _But why would I think that? I've just done what was needed, and these animals needed to be put down. They deserved nothing more than that. Tsk, by the masks, they were nothing more than reprobates that deserved to be put into the dirt, my actions were warranted, the glee I derived from it just means that I enjoy giving them their just deserts. _

_Why am I thinking like this? _Why am I thinking like this?

_A screech rips from my throat as pain thunders in my skull, _the fog that weighs on my mind dissipates for a brief moment, _returning again with its warm and welcoming embrace, dropping to my knees, the thudding of the dirt striking my ears with a dull noise, a stinging and relieving hiss of pain from it._

_I, _why am I here again? What's going on? _Where did I come from? Who was I looking for again? _They were important right? They have to be, they MUST be, why else do I remember them? Was I here for them, on their behalf? I, I love them right? _That's why I did it. _But, they're not in any more danger now, right? There's no one here, I'm all alone once more. The rage that bellows in my chest dies down with my beating heart, looking down to the dirt with a fuzzy vision. My limbs feel as if they're stuffed with lead in my bones, my head feels heavy as I forced myself to look up to a blur of black and red. My eyes widen at the remains of the man, falling onto my hands as a nauseous feeling tears through my throat, feeling my cheeks bulge as a rancid tasting bile pours out of my throat, a short and bitter feeling burst of a vomit, a mix between brown and green coating the dirt. A sickening taste lingers in my mouth as I push myself back onto my knees, one hand wiping away the filth that sticks to my lips while the other wipes away the blurry vision from tears.

I, what am I doing here? What happened? Why does the stench of blood permeate the air? A feeling of dread building up in my chest as I continue to stare at the body in front of me. Who is that? Who did this? Was, was it me? Did I do that? That, no, that's not possible. I wouldn't have done something like this, would I?

Adrian, Adrian? Are you there? What's going on? What happened?

I bite at the inside of my cheek, a coppery taste on my tongue as my eyes remained glued to the corpse. Adrian? I open my mouth to try to speak, but a feeble croaking gag is all that comes from my throat, a freezing feeling wrapping around my body like a soul sucking blanket. I barely feel myself raise a hand to my face, I can barely feel the impact of it colliding with my skull too, everything feels so numb.

Silence echoes in my mind, there's no one there. I can't hear him, I can't hear anyone else. I'm alone. Another punch does little to bring feeling to me, my arm hanging limp by my side. I wheeze and struggle to stand onto my feet, a mix between confusion and remorse sealing my mouth shut as I look down to the body. My stomach turns as I look to the bloody stump, tearing my eyes away from the grizzly sight, looking around to see the other bodies that lay beside him. I look to the bloodied blade thrown to the side, looking down to my trembling hand as I unclench, a cracking noise audible to my ears as I gaze to the blue crystal. Its power throbs dully, a tingling sensation in my hand.

Memories rush and flash in my mind, my eyes widening as the pain returns, a throbbing thundering one that forces my body to shudder. Oh my god, I did this. That was _me, _I fucking _murdered them_.

That word echoes in my skull, murderer murderer murderer, feeling leaving my body as I fall limp, falling backwards and staring up to the sky, the once blue sky looks dull and greying.

My eyelids feel heavy as they weigh down on my eyes, rapidly flickering open and closed. Darkness washes over my eyes, a cold feeling pressing against my lungs.

What would they think of me now, would I be hated? I'm a murderer, there's nothing heroic or noble about that.

...I'm tired, I'm so so tired.


	38. Chapter 38

A freezing feeling slithers across my body as black sludge obscures my vision, writhing and wriggling before dissipating, my eyelids flickering open as I launch into a sitting position. A coughing fit rips through my lungs and throat as I cover my mouth, the leather of the glove feels foreign against my face, the fit dying down soon after as I flop back onto the warm covers. I stare into the ceiling with a distracted gaze, embracing the mellowing feeling of the spongy bed as I gather my scattered thoughts.

Molded and fucked cieling, lack of smell, warm bed. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that I'm back here… I just wish it was for a better reason. I let out a soft sigh as I reluctantly push myself back into sitting position, pushing myself to the edge of the bed and burying my face into my hands. Fuck, Gods fucking dammit! What the fuck is wrong with you Zeke? What was all that meant to be, huh?

I shake my head as I sniffle, brushing my palm against my stinging eyes while I stare into the ruined carpet, a sinking feeling weighing on my chest. Fuck, just... What would _they_ think of me? Would they think me a savage monster? Oh god, they would. wouldn't they? That's what _I _fucking think for gods sake. What would Edward think to see me splayed out while next to my own fucking vomit surrounded by corpses, what would Lucy think of it all? What about the bloody merchants who I was meant to _protect_.

Oh dear god, Mabel, does she know? Would she understand what I've done? Is she old enough to be _capable _of understanding the gravity of it? No one knows what happened there, not truly anyways, but they'll be able to draw the conclusion. Has someone else told her, should I tell her myself? Oh god, what if I lash out against her? What would she think of me then? Can I stop myself from doing that, I can barely stomach the mere thought of that. My eyes sting once more as I shake my head, a sour taste of bile in my mouth as I stand upright. No, I'll sooner break myself than harm her, wouldn't I? I hope so, god I hope so.

I stand on shaky legs, paw pads pressing against the fucked carpet, a familiar green cloth draped and drooping as I stand upright. Huh? That, when did that happen? Did someone else put this on me? I guess I didn't notice, too caught up in my own thoughts. I bite the inside of my cheek as I look down to my chest, looking over the slashed piece of fabric as I tug at the thick green cloak. I guess they wanted to keep me warm while I'm passed the fuck out, an act of kindness that I don't fucking deserve.

I rub my hands against my face as I sigh once more, a tired feeling weighing on my head as I look around the dream room. Looks as awful as it always does, though that's not a surprise. A concerned trickling thought brushes against my mind as I furrow my brows, where _is _Adrian? I haven't heard from him in.. a while, I guess, how long has it been anyways? How long was the entire episode to begin with? Fuck, my memory's all fuzzy again. I'd have thought that he'd love to be hovering around me like the prickish spectral doppelganger that he is, berating me for one reason or another. I hope he's okay, I _really _hope, despite all the confusing feelings that stir in my chest when I think of the irksome bastard. He's a prick that thrives on screaming at me, but he's not entirely bad.

...Do I actually miss him, him and his fucking voice? The sound of what's almost myself echoing in my skull, residing in my brain like a parasitic gnat? Fuck, I guess I do, I wonder what he'd think about all this. I suppose I've gotten used to having another thing to talk to, human, keidran or otherwise. My legs shake and shudder as I begin to pace forwards and backwards, it feels like my fucking bones have been laced with lead. Perhaps I should, I dunno, go back to bed? Would that be a good use of time, or is that just a waste? Pfah, most of what I do in this godforsaken place is a fucking waste, shitty dream room.

My ears twitch as a thudding noise echoes through the room, twisting my neck almost painfully so as I stare at the decaying desk, its disrepaired frame shaking and shuddering with each booming thud, like a fist beating against wood. I feel my lips twitch upwards as I make my way to the desk, ignoring the flare of pain in my heavy legs as I do so, speak of the devil and he'll appear!

"Don't worry Adrian, I'll get you outta there." I whisper to myself as I kneel in front of the desk, the shuddering continuing to rise with and intensify slowly, heart beating rapidly in my chest as I take a hold of the frame of the cabinet. Thank god, thank fucking god, I won't be alone in here any more, anything's better than lonesome feeling of solitude in here. I frown and furrow my brow as the door to it creaks, straining underneath my grip, but not budging beyond that. A flare of frustration surfaces in my chest as I grit my teeth, feet digging into the carpet as I lean backwards, heaving and dragging at the stuck door. My fingers feel tense and cramped, but I persist anyways despite the uncomfortable pain in them, an eager and desperate fire burning in my chest. You stupid fucking door, don't you _DARE _decide to oppose me now you fucking worthless piece of wood! I won't be alone in here, I don't care how long it takes, I'll keep going until my god damn fingers break in this stupid fucking place, I _WILL _get you open.

A chill runs up my spine as the thudding fades away, its beating becoming slower and slower by the moment, my heart thundering in my chest as I continue to try to pry at the wood. My arms burn at the pressure as the wood continues to strain against the pressure, a faint snapping noise filling my ears as my gaze looks to the door. Bits of it's been splintered underneath the strain, the faded paint job on the thing snapping off of the wood alongside it. Fuck, fuck fuck fuck, is Adrian okay? How long is he gonna be stuck in there? Is he scared, has he lost hope to be alone, just as I have? The fire in my chest flares up into a strengthened flame as I dig my fingers into the little bits past the door that's been cracked open from the process, dark wisps of nothingness barely squeezing past the cracks and eking out into the room. I grit my teeth and continue to ignore the pain that flares up in the tips of my fingers, the wood clamping down onto them, a stinging pain that pushes through the protection of the gloves. _Anything _that I can use to get some leverage in this case I will gladly take, I'll bear the pain, I'll do what I need to do to get him out of the void god dammit!

I grunt and wheeze for breath as the thudding trails off, the ring of silence blasting in my ears as I feverishly grip and tear at the door. Let him go, let him out of there you fucking piece of shit desk! I OWN this fucking room, this is MY fucking mind, I should have some control over this fucking pile of shit dream room thats stuck in the inbetween of my mind to house my dreaming and shitty memories.

I won't be alone, I won't be alone, not any more, not at this fucking moment! I wish I had something sharp to hack and hew at this rotting wood, but I'll keep going until my fucking hands break. Get him out, let him out. The sound of rusted metal grinding against metal fills my ears as the desk shudders once more.

LET

HIM

OUT

The snapping of the wood rings out in the silence of the room, a grin forcing itself on my face as sweat beads on my forehead, barely managing to steady myself as I'm yanked backwards from the force. My fingers clutch at the decaying plank of wood as I look down to it, what looks like dry rot taking root in the thing as it hangs on the fringe of crumbling in my grasp, looking back up into the seeping darkness that creeps out of the broken bits of the door, the encroaching black backing away from the hole that's been created. I shuffle myself closer to the door and grip at the hole in it, tearing away at the wood as best I can, splinters of it digging into my hand, even through the thickness of my gloves, the rest of it falling onto the floor. A moment of hesitation passing over my mind as I pause for a moment, a heavy feeling suddenly imbued into my limbs as I stare into the inky black depths of the cabinet, the spiraling obsidian wisps slithering out of its confines before dissipating in the stiff air.

Am I truly so desperate for someone else, _anyone else_ to be here to keep me company here because of _what I done to those poor souls _that I'd willingly destroy something else in my mind without a care for its potential consequences? I don't know what this desk is meant to be containing to begin with beyond some inky black shit, behaving something akin to a storage box for random shit. I'm not sure if it's meant to symbolise something greater than what it merely appears to be, am I desecrating the remains of something that's actually important by doing this? What if I aggravate something else in my mind and snap further? If this place is my mind, then breaking things inside it would mean _something_, right?

The memory of knocking becoming fainter and fainter reverberates in my mind as I shake my head, a resolute feeling of steel firmly placed in my chest as I return to picking and tearing at the broken shards of the door. Whats it fucking matter to begin with? Adrians a part of me at the very least, and I won't let him to be stuck in the fucking void. If it's anything like the purgatory that I remember, then I wouldn't wish that on anyone else, I still feel cold shivers crawl up my spine whenever I think of that bleak place. Adrian's a part of my mind, even if he's a colossal fucking prick that clings to my skull and screams at me, he's still someone I refuse to leave behind. I take in deep breaths as the muscles in my arms tense and heat up in pain and exertion, looking over the remains of the door thanks to my handiwork as I plant my ass onto the carpet.

The creeping darkness tinges and corrupts the edges of the sizable hole in the thing, the rotting wood of the door putting up a surprising fight of sturdiness before being torn apart. It crumbles like dust when broken away from the door itself, but it was otherwise hardy despite its looks. I hum to myself as I drump the tips of my fingers against my thighs, an uncomfortable feeling in my throat as I look into the darkness. I uh, I didn't exactly plan beyond this, I was a bit too caught up in the moment. Fuck, are you fucking kidding me Zeke? What sort of plan is this shit? God fucking dammit.

A heated exhale pushes itself out of my flaring nose as I furrow my brow, continuing to glare into the darkness. Hm… What if I go in there and try to find him myself? Or at least, reach into the depths of it with a hand to grasp around for him? I'll be sure to find him eventually, right? How the fuck does space work inside that thing anyways.

...That wouldn't work actually, we can't physically touch each other. I still remember the feeling of his hand passing through my body to tease me like the piece of shit he is. But wouldn't it be worth the shot anyways? Who's to say that there isn't gonna be any dumb fuckery that magically makes it work? He might be able to see my hand in there as well, wouldn't he take that as a sign that I'm trying to find him? It's a faint hope that's basically grasping for straws, but it'd be better than just leaving the bastard in there.

A shiver runs up my spine as my arm tingles, shuffling closer to the inky depths, reaching out to it with a shaking hand. Fuck, I haven't even touched it yet but I can feel the chilly lingering remains of the darkness slithering up my arm. Why do I feel so scared of it? Why is it that my heart beats like a jackhammer in my chest? Is it because the stakes of what could happen is so much higher? I purse my lips together and push myself forward, plunging my arm into the dark depths of the void. The phantom chills of it becomes a reality as it encompasses my arms, gritting my teeth as I wiggle my arm around in the depths, a sinking feeling in my chest as I shove myself further into it, the numbing feeling reaching up and around my shoulder. Fuck, it's not like I can see anything in there, what if something _else _grabs me? Who's to know what else is meant to be in a place like this? I've only seen the dream journal that I've dragged from the depths myself, as well as Adrian himself… but what if something else comes? Something more _dangerous _than false paper and the leech himself?

Why the fuck am I thinking about this? Paranoia and worry or not, have a friend in the fucking void dammit, I don't have time to think, this is time for action! I purse my lips together as I push the sinking feeling of worry that clutches at my chest aside, shoving myself further into the darkness, pushing past my shoulder into the place as I throw my arm side to side, desperate to grasp or nudge with anything in there. Jesus Christ, how much space is in this thing? Hm…

The beginnings of an idea brushes against my mind as I wiggle my hand in the depths for a moment longer before pulling away, shaking the blackened wisps away as I steel my nerves. I take in a few long shuddering breaths as I continue to eye the hole while rolling my shoulders, more than a fair bit of the doors been broken away after all in my feverous haste, I might as well use it to my goddamn advantage. I slowly bring myself closer to the hole, my eyes flickering from place to place as the heart in my chest begins its thundering rejection once more. Is this really the right choice to make? Am I acting too quickly without gathering my thoughts? I know what happened last time I didn't have full control of myself…

I shake my head of those thoughts once more as I dip the tips of my fingers into the breach, the chill freezing at them as I cutch at the sides of the hole, taking in a few more deep breaths to steady myself. I might not know what I'm doing, and I might loathe myself regardless of my choice, but anything is better than inaction when someone could be at stake. I fucked up once, I won't do it again, I won't leave a friend behind to suffer the consequences of my own actions.

I take in a deep breath of air as I force myself into the hole, the feeling of frost washes over my skull as the stabbing feeling of frost clings to my skull, my eyes forced wide open as the black washes over my vision, feeling as if I've pushed my skull into freezing water. I blink as I twist and turn myself around in the void, a squeezing pressure on my being as I examine the area. Being half in and half out of a void space feels fucking awful and awkward, I don't want to be here any longer than I need to. Oh fuck, can I breathe here? Is there even air, or does it not count cause this is a dream? I don't think I wanna find out.

My chest tightens as the air in it begins to expire, the heated and nervous noise of my beating heart flooding my ears as I continue to twist and turn. This, this is an odd place, I can't see anything because there's nothing to see, and yet there's enough to see to know there's _nothing there_, this place is as empty and lonely as I expected, with far more space than a fucking cabinent should have. I squint into the emptiness as the edges of my vision blurs, a stinging pain in my brain as my limbs begin to deaden, cheeks bloated with air as the strands of my hair stick out at strange angles. For something that feels like water, it presses against my skull with an intensity akin to sludge, fitting for a place such as this.

The more I look, the more the hope in my heart fades, a grave feeling weighing in my chest, feeling as if it's pressing against my organs. Fuck, am I too late? Was all this time thinking and all this pain a waste? I can't give up just yet, I'll keep going till the pain of this place forces me out of here god dammit. What if.. What if he just cant see me? There's not much to see in this place, but maybe he could hear me. What do I have to lose anyways?

I push out the rest of my breath and take in another fresh heap of it, the chill of the void dragging itself down my throat like ice shards that tear at it, wincing and internally screaming in pain throughout it.

"AAAAAAADRIAN." I scream out into the abyss, the sound of my voice feeling flat and dull against my ears, fading out into the distance. There's no reply, not even a hint of it. Is he gonna be okay? Can he even hear me? How long am I going to be alone for in a place like this? My throat feels as if its been torn up and ran ragged from the air in this place, the edges of my vision darkening as the cold clutch of the void grips at my throat. Should I pull back? What if another call to him is what I need to get his attention? Would it be best to go all or nothing in a place like this? Fuck, spend less time thinking and worrying, spend more time actually doing _something _Zeke!

The desperate call dies in my throat as a savage feeling cough rips through it, a drained feeling sapping the energy in my limbs and chest, the cold feeling pressing down and around my body akin to a blanket. My vision turns hazy as I feel my breathing slow, a desperate feeling for air despite the pain of it, slowly blinking as I slouch forward, feeling myself fall lax against the wood. Fuck, I can't feel my legs, or arms, or my face. Son of a bitch, I bit off more than I can chew again didn't I? Trying to force myself into a place I don't know to risk myself, that's perfectly like me isn't it? Zeke, you dumb, dumb bastard…

I still try my best to look around with half lidded eyes, my breathing gentle and slowly fading as I do so. Why can't I pull myself out of here? Shouldn't I at least try to push myself out of here? My legs feel as cold as the flesh of my lips, has the darkness wrapped around the rest of my body too? It'd explain the cold, but despite how uncomfortable and awful it feels, there's a sense of… longing in my chest, as if a part of it wishes to remain in this place.

...Would it really be that bad to stay here, then? Do I deserve anything more than to be contained in an unfeeling place within my mind? It'd be better for certain people, right? I've hurt people, I've _murdered _them, innocent or otherwise. What about the past me, too? Wouldn't there be others who'd love to see me dead because of what I've done? If I fall so easily to violent temptations, maybe there's that part of me that I'll never be free of, what's the difference between me _now _and me _then_?

Pfeh, what happened to that bravado before Zeke? I thought I had some sort of stubborn determination to stay alive for others, if not myself. Maybe it's this place, this depressive area that seems to sap the very warmth from life itself. I'm normally used to the cold and the way it fluctuates inside me, but this, this is something different. My eyelids feel heavy as they continue to droop, a stifled yawn stirring in my throat, the cold is a pretty shitty blanket, but the allure of a snooze is tempting.

..There's nothing wrong with a small nap is there? It's my own mind, I should be able to do what I want, the bed would be warmer, but I can't be bothered trying to lug myself over to it. I just want to sleep, I want to rest, I want to feel more normal and less.. Whatever the fuck this is. Less of a bastardised mix of angst and needless fury, it'd be less of a pain to everyone else who's had the unfortunate circumstance of meeting me. Wouldn't everyone be better off without me?

I slowly open and close my eyes, the numbing pain washing over my body as I relax, lazy eyes looking around the void. Huh? When did I get in here, how long have I been in here? Was I dragged in here by the abyss? I wouldn't be surprised, I've seen far more unlikely things happen after all, haven't I? Dreams make fuck all sense anyways, who cares.

My lips twitch upwards despite the glacial freeze of the abyss, the shuddering sigh that escapes my lips hitching lightly through the splitting feeling of comforting pain. Yeah, who gives a flying fuck. My eyelids flicker for a moment longer before shutting altogether, a heavy feeling weighing on my limp body as I rest in the nothingness. I'm just gonna rest for a while is all, it really isn't _that _big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, it'll be a nice time in here. And if I don't come back, then it'll be no problem for the rest of them, other than Edward having to carry me around _again_. Death isn't anything special, and neither am I, they'll make due without me. Losing a life is a waste, as long as it isn't mine, rules for me and not for thee.

The tips of my fingers twitch as I wince, a flush of heat washing over my body as I groan, cracking an eye open to look around. I just got done with a massive monologue about how much I dislike myself before deciding to go for a nap in the void, what the fuck is piping up _after _I've finished?

I hum as I look down to my chest, raising an eyebrow as I stare at a small glowing orb. It's a misty looking thing, as if it's the gleaming golden radiance from it can barely keep a solid form, flickering its fluctuating light cuts through the tenebrosity of this place. It's shine is alluring, my gaze latching onto it as life stirs back into my chest. What is this thing, where'd it come from? Why's it here of all places? Did I think of this thing, or is this another factor that's coming out of left wing to fuck with me?

A shiver runs up my spine as it thrums with its glowing heat once more, washing over my body and pushing away the dark, my lips pursed together as I push myself away from the orb as a fuzzy static echoes in my ears. What, what the fuck is this? Can I trust this? Or is it a trap from something else, something darker to attract and entice me into its clutches? Who's to say that this little thing isn't a ploy to drag me further into this place despite its initial warmth?

Its soft golden glow pulsates once more with a comforting heat, pulsing and washing over my body again, an invigorating feeling rushing in my veins. It's, it's like a warm blanket from a mother, homely and refreshing. My vision blurs as the ice in my throat melts away, the taste of honey replacing it as I raise a palm to my face, brushing away the building tears. Fuck, I'm crying _again_? Tsk, Zeke you fucking child, get over yourself, you're crying over nothing again you waste.

The orb's light suddenly flares up with an aggravated flame, stepping away from it as I cover my eyes from its brilliance, blinking and rubbing away the black spots that stain my vision as best I can, blocking the light and squeezing my eyes shut does nothing to stop the light assaulting my sight. It dies down after a while as I open my eyes, blinking away the pain as I cautiously stare at the floating orb. Its light flickers once as it approaches me, hovering and bobbing ever so slightly in front of me.

I squint as I take a tentative step forward, reaching out to it with a hand. It's warm throbbing encompases my body, a soft sigh of delight escaping my lips as I wrap my fingers around it, bringing it closer to my chest and caressing it gently. It feels like glass as I rub a thumb over the thing, its warm pulses far less intensive than before as I hold it in my grasp. What is this thing, why does it seem so familiar? What are the odds that this is something from my past?

The way its gold warmth surrounds me is soothing, my lips twitching upwards as the weight on my body dissipating into the void. I've seen this before, that much I can be certain of, the gold coloured flair of it niggles at my mind. I know I've seen this, but wh-

The flash of a picture brushes against my mind, the golden glow of glee filled eyes standing out from the black background, a grin on her face reaching from ear to ear as her puffed up fur glistens. It's gone as quick as it appears, a thought forming where it once was. Heh, I should've figured that some part of me would hold out for her. But, is this _her _or just a part of my mind that clings to the thought of keeping her safer? Mabel isn't really here, is she?

Does that matter? This little light beams and cuts into the darkness like a torch, and it's brought me out of the depths of my mind that dragged me down. A feeling of determination and resolution ignites in my chest as I gently squeeze down on the glass, curling and wrapping my fingers around it possessively. Yeah, you know what? Fuck this place for bringing me in here, I'll make my way out of this degenerative bit of my mind, and I'll drag Adrians body along with me. I'll get out of here.

The light of the glass shines between the gaps of my fingers with a renewed intensity, covering my eyes from its radiance, the sound of clanging and snapping filling my ears as they flatten against my neck. The cacophonous discord dies down slowly, the warm shield pulses and wraps around my body like a comforting hug as I look around the area.

Ruined buildings stand on either side of me, the wood that it's build of seems like its been hacked from oversized blades before being rotted away from the trial of time itself, the sound of silence rings in my ears as a heavy look of darkness falls on the area, as if the very world of this places been dimmed and removed from the light of the sun. The ruined road is made of cobblestone, large chunks of it blasted out from the sides with large pot holes splayed across the rest of it, the clutch of moss and greenery wraps around it like the clutch of a vine. A shiver runs up my spine as I grimace, the general air of this place is dark and moody, there's no sun nor moon in the sky, how can I even see anything here then? Is that because of the orb?

The orb throbs in my hand as I look down to it, a comforting feeling washing away the building dread and worry in my chest as I let out a tense sigh, shutting my eyes and counting up. One, two, three, we got this Zeke. I won't let my fear and loathing control me anymore, and I won't relish the control of those feelings.

I open my eyes and nod to myself, walking forward down the street, the clacking of my claws against stone the only sound in this place, clashing against the building static in my ears. I don't know what this place is, nor why it feels so familiar, but if I'm here then I'm here for a damn good reason. I just need to find out _what _that is, and where I am.

I bite down on the worry that threatens to numb my limbs, a hand raised to my chest as I continue my march. The golden sphere beats alongside my heart.


	39. Chapter 39

The buildings that surround the street continue their pattern of a ruinous state, each house as aged and battle worn as the last, the dreary and oppressive atmosphere that permeates this place feels as throttling as the clasping of hands around my throat. The glowing orb that warms my heart keeps the smoogy haze of the dark at bay for the most part, I can't imagine trying to traverse this place without the orb to abate the dark. My fingers still skim at the glassy touch of the thing, something about the glass feeling of it being unnatural in its smoothness, the way that the golden magical wisps flows in and out of its glass feeling cage so freely is… strange, as is the rest of this place. What is this thing meant to be, and why does it remind me of Mabel so much? Surely it can't _exactly _be her, right? I know I'm rather sensitive to magic and everything, but she's not exactly a mage, right? She wouldn't have been able to cast a spell on me without, well, potentially disastrous effects.

The orb pushes itself out of hand and shoves itself into my face, stumbling backwards as it flares up with an angry, almost scolding golden sheen, the flickers of its tendrils behaving akin to a comforting flame as it brings me out of my thoughts. Wha? Why'd it do that?

"...you can read my thoughts, can't you?" I tentatively ask the aggravated orb, the light within it flickering as it bobs up and down. I squint my eyes as the orb floats towards my face, the light dimming ever so slightly thankfully as it nudges against my nose, an odd mixture of chill from the feeling of glass itself and the comforting warmth that fills my veins. It zips and zooms around my head, lapping around me for a few moments, my head swimming as I try to keep up with it before it settles on my shoulder. I raise an eyebrow as it remains still just above it, acting as if its a bird perched on my shoulder.

"What are you meant to be, anyways? Do you have any idea what I'm doing here?" I continue to pry at the mysterious orb, the brilliant flames inside dulls for a brief moment before returning to its regular intensity, the glass shuddering. I hum to myself as I purse my lips, shrugging soon after.

"Ah well, I shouldn't have really expected to hear much from you. Thank you though, whatever you may be, for getting me out of my uh, well… To call it a small rut would be downplaying it, bah, fuck, thank you." I finally manage to force out those words out of my mouth, an abashed feeling smile on my face as I rub at the back of my neck. The glow of the sphere flickers briefly before lapping around my head once again, the chiming of something similar to gentle sounding bells echoing in my ears as it rests upon my shoulder once more, a comforted feeling resting beside the awkwardness in my chest. Is, is this thing _laughing _at me? Then again, I'd do the same, stammering like a child to it. Come on Zeke, there's no reason to act like that, it's just a weird dream ball, thing, nothing too weird.

A short snicker escapes my lips as it curls upwards, looking away from the bobbing ball and to the road ahead, the clacking of my claws against the rock giving way to the pattering of a dirt road, though traces of cobblestone still linger alongside the edges, as if mashed together into a poor blend of the two. The buildings only grow higher in height, an almost towering and looming presence from the remains despite the impossibility of it, as if the houses are simply holding themselves up with the disregard of physics and gravity. My ears flatten against myself as I purse my lips again, the sharp incline of such high rise buildings feels off, uncomfortably so, was this place always so dark? It's as if a grayscale filter was placed over my bloody eyeballs, everything about this area puts me on edge.

The warmth of my bizarre companion encourages me though, relaxing my tense muscles as I release a stiff sigh, looking towards it with a side eye and a smile. I don't know what this thing's meant to be, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. The golden glow of it is _definitely _reminiscent of Mabel, though. Then again, the rest of this place seems so _familiar_, as it niggling at the back of my mind, a sense of deja vu brushes upon the ends of it. Perhaps this place is meant to be a mashup of my memories, even those I can't properly recall? It explains some of my feelings about this place, as well as it being, well, _inside _my mind. Bah, fuck this place anyways, regardless of what its intended purpose of existence may be. I'm here to save my friend, and I've a partner to help me through it, that's all that matters.

A chill rushes up my spine, twisting my head to look behind me, squinting as I glare into the darkness. Without the glow of the orb, the area without the light's been shrouded in shadow, an amorphous look melding any bit of it together. Something about the look of the abyss is both unnerving and alluring, an odd feeling stirring in my mind before I shake it away, focusing on the path ahead of me. I'm not going to fall for that, not again anyways. Just focus on the path ahead Zeke, focus on your objective, run through this place for the safety of Adrian.

I rub at my face and gently slap at the sides of my head, attempting to bring the rest of my focus back to the current situation, the sudden change of glow by my partner bringing my attention to it.

"Huh? What's up, do you see something?" I ask as I turn to face it, stuffing my hands into my cloak pockets. Its flames flicker again as it brushes against my chest, the dimming glow of it bringing some heaviness in my heart.

"Are you worried about me?" I guess with the tilt of my head, the nudging of it once again answering that question. I smile softly as I push back against it with my cheek, the sudden happy flickering of it bringing joy in my heart.

"Hey, I'm gonna be okay now. I know I've said that a lot to myself, and to others, and I might not always believe it, but I'll do my best. I know I can handle myself in this case at least, so long as I have your company to guide my way around here. Your company is always welcome, uh, my dude. I don't know what your name is, and I don't wanna call you 'Mabel', that's a bit weird." I splurg out onto a small tangent as I speak to it, the chiming of bells in my ears once more as it rests on my shoulder instead of floating, the feel of glass hanging onto my clothes feels… strange, but I won't deny it's want. I purse my lips again and mentally slap at myself, fucking what? Why'd you bring up Mabel there? I guess it does remind me of her quite a bit, just from the feeling alone. At least it decided to laugh at me instead of genuinely questioning it, not that it could pry much anyways. For such a small ball of light, it's surprisingly expressive.

I look around the area once more, the prattling of myself distracting me from the changing area, the looming buildings replaced with the gloomy look of gnarled and sickly trees, the wood that its made of looks frail and malnourished, a shiver running up my spine as more of its ilk seems to spring alongside each other. How long have we been walking to end in this place to beginw ith? I know my mind wanders every so often, but this seems a bit much, perhaps time flows differently in a place like this? It makes sense, maybe? Who knows, dreams are confusing, as is this entire bloody situation. Still, going from a town area that seems awfully familiar to _woods _that seem familiar in turn, albeit corrupted and rendered to at least _visually _uninhabitable disturbs me in a way. It's a disgusting perversion of a type of place that I grew to , now I miss the genuinely beautiful look of woods, the lovely sounds that it brings along with the welcoming atmosphere of it. I took it for granted for a bit before I came here, that much I remember, and I won't let myself think the same again. God I fucking love the look of nature in the real world, the wild and freeness of it is attractive in its own way. Maybe I should get a house of my own in the woods, then? Would it be costly? How would it work to have to _make _a house in this world anyways?

The orb laps around my head again to get my attention, bringing me out of my rambling thoughts before floating ahead, my purposeful walking turning into a stiff jogging to keep up with it, shaking my head to remove those thoughts. Pfeh, thinking of making a home at time like this, in a _place _like this? Those are thoughts for another day, not now. It's running ahead for a reason, but what for?

A cold shiver runs up my spine as something inside my chest urges me onwards, pumping my legs faster and faster to chase after the floating orb that's guiding me through this place. I twist my head back as a gurgling, bubbling noise rattles my ears, an amorphous blob of dark oozing from just out of vision, like a constantly advancing wall of shadows.

Ah, we're running _away _from something, that makes sense. I tear my sight away from the mass and focus on running, forcing myself to ignore the burning muscles in my legs. It feels as if it's being weighed down by the rocks I once trod on, but I can't be caught here, I _have _to find Adrian. I don't think the darkness of this place would be very kind to my sudden friend here, either.

I push myself faster and faster, catching up with the zipping orb, pursing my lips together as a screeching noise echoes from behind us, twisting my neck to look back once more as a sense of looming dread builds in the back of my mind. The shadowy wall crumbles into dark wisps as the hazy look of dark claws takes its place instead, grasping from the dark and mauling at the dirt, kicking up the darkened dust. I purse my lips together and return to focusing ahead of myself, willing and forcing myself to stand side by side with the flaming orb, fears affirmed by the horrid sight. Nope, not fucking dealing with that at the moment, whatever the fuck _that_ may be, I'm getting the fuck out of here.

The sickened and decaying woods that surround either side of us gives way to a blank and seemingly endless void, the sudden entrance to a town appearing before us both, the gloom that rests atop it seems to be a regular in a place like this. A sign rests in front of the town's entrance, akin to a welcoming sign in a none to welcoming place, though its bare of any inscriptions in the pale wood. The buildings that line the street in front of us is as ruined as the other ones, a sadly familiar sight in this realm. The glowing orb stops dead in front of the decrepit housing, a happy little chime flowing in my brain battering away the looming dread that's built itself in there, washing away with the brush of the light, standing beside it as I stare into the advancing wall.

"So, uh, I get that you probably know what's going on, but are you sure this is safe?" I ask it with raised eyebrow, gaze switching between it and the enclosing… _thing_, a wall isn't made of dark _shit _with claws tearing at the ground beneath it, at least, walls that I know of. Fucking dream world, this place is a nightmare. It jingles and swirls around my head before resting on my shoulder, sparking brightly as it does so. A rising worry builds in my chest as I step from foot to foot, I've no reason to distrust this surprising friend so far, they've only cared and protected me from this place, but the nerves in my chest aren't easily sedated with chiming. My ears flatten as I look upwards at the approaching _thing_, looking at it like this, its less of a wall and more of a thing that disintegrates the area that it infects, raising impossibly high into the sky like a tidal wave of black. What the fuck is this thing thinking?

My body tenses as my teeth chatters, neck straining as I continue to look upwards into the great beyond, stepping backwards with a shiver. Oh fuck, why the fuck didn't we keep running? Surely there could've been some place to run to, right? Something as large as this would swallow me whole, it'd tramble the both of us into dust and leave us scattered around the floo-

The overwhelming looking wave suddenly halts in its charge, the darkness bubbling as its outstretched claw paws at the entrance of the town, its twitching of its stygian limb scraping and cutting at the dirt beneath it. It's overpowering monstrous size still holds just beyond the towns limit, but something seems to be preventing it from simply muscling its way into the town. The woods that we once walked in is _probably _consumed by the dark wave, not that I'd want to return to it anyways.

"So, I guess you kind of knew this was gonna happen?" I ask my glowing friend as I rest a hand on my hip, eyebrows still raised as I stare at it. The happy looking flickering that comes from it is a good enough answer, as is the swirling of its hovering body.

"I figured you were planning something, could do with less of a heart attack during it though." I say with a sigh, rubbing at the side of my head in an attempt to sooth the lingering strain. Its soft chimes fill my ears as it glows gently, rolling my shoulders as the tense sigh is replaced with one of happiness, the build up stress washing away with the tenderness of the magic that brushes over me. At least this magic doesn't feel like I'm being torn apart from the insides, it's a nice change that I'm fond of, and I _fully _believe it'll never be like this again. Fantastic, thanks you colossal fuck up of a body, I appreciate it _so much_.

My muttering's cut short by the chiming of my strange friend, circling around my head before floating in front of me, a small spectacle of light exuding from its glass body, an offshoot of its magical touch flickering and nudging against my nose as I huff, a small smile brushing on my face as its warmth lingers inside me.

"Right right, you can read my mind and shit, I do mentally trail off a bit I guess. I assume you can read my emotions too?" I prod at the ball with a soft tone in my voice as I stuff my hands into my pockets. It answers by bobbing up and down with the flickering of its light, another high spiriting chiming echoing in my ears.

"I kinda figured, I'd hope there's nothing wrong with prodding for information, stuck in a greyscale place that seems like an amalgamation of things I've seen before while being chased by a monstrous thing with the help of a floating orb of light seems like something that should be questioned after all." I say with a deadpan tone, staring at the floating orb with a raised eyebrow. It shrinks away for a brief moment, the light in its body flickering before zipping closer to my face, brushing against my cheek. A slanted smile forces itself on my face as its warmth skirts around me, reaching up with a hand and gently brushing my thumb against its glass cage. I uh, I sure hope that it takes that as a sign of affection.

"Relax, I was joking. Wasn't exactly a good joke I guess, _I _found it funny at least. Don't worry about it little buddy, I'm fine, see?" I give it a bright grin as it floats away from me, resting my fists on my hips. It's delighted little chimes is music to my ears, chuckling lightly as it swirls around my head once more. I don't want the thing to feel genuinely bad for me, it reminds me too much of her to let that happen anyways.

A rumbling shakes the ground beneath me, stumbling left to right as I try to maintain balance, a small yelp escaping my throat as I look to my friend. It zips left to right in what I assume to be confusing, zipping past my head. I spare it a glance before looking to the wall of darkness, the being shuddering and convulsing as it folds in on itself, the ever expansive dark morphing itself into an orb of its own. A nebulous ball of onyx darkness awaits at the gateway to the town, hovering ever closer to it with a tentative creeping. I grit my teeth as I back away from it, standing beside my glowing friend, soft but hasty chiming brushing against my ears. Ah, fuck, that's not good is it?

The pitch black balls 'skin' bubbles and sinks within itself, the shade of black that its made of stands out from the dark void that stands behind itself, an elongated claw suddenly _bursting _from itself, flinging the sludge that forms itself outwards. The dark sludge splatters against something that flashes with a harsh radiance , a wall of crystalline light separating _us _from _it_, the remains of itself dissipating into wisps of nothingness. The dark claw that protrudes out from its body presses against the transparent…. Glass? It looks like glass, like what my bright friend's made of. The sound of a faint shrieking fills my ears, rising in its intensity as it presses against the glass, I whine and cover my ears, wincing as a shiver runs up my spine, the magical soothing tempering it at least somewhat.

I try to open my mouth to speak, but it remains glued shut, more limbs erupting from its base body and slamming itself against the wall, its shrieking reaching its peak as the cracks form within the wall, its integrity strained and stained. A high pitched chiming echoes in my ears as my friend zips away from me, stumbling over my own two feet as I chase after it, heart thundering in my chest as I force my legs to pump myself forward. Don't look back Zeke, don't look back, just pray that it's not gonna be an all consuming fucking void. God, I'll pray to whatever gods above if I have to!

A shattering noise rocks my senses and the ground beneath me as I stumble over my feet, a triumphant shrieking from the orb of darkness is a grave confirmation of the result of that mess. Wasn't that meant to be protecting us? How the fuck can it just randomly break through, what the fuck is this place?!

My legs burn from exertion as I gasp for air in my burning lungs, running past the ruined buildings with the light orb taking the lead, twisting my head around to look back. I feel my eyes widen as a constant stream of darkness follows our trail, two pairs of elongated claws mauling and dragging their constantly morphing body across the floor, the only bits of their bodies being their claws and the lashing tendrils that protrude from their backs. I turn back to face ahead and redouble my efforts. I don't give a fuck if my legs explode, I don't want any of this shit, I don't want to look at them any more than I need to.

The houses wizz and blur in a mix mash of grey as the pounding in my chest thunders in my ears, the grit of my teeth becoming a numbing pain as the golden orb suddenly jolts right. I scramble to change direction, a worried muttering from my own lips falling mute on my ears as I hurry after it. Walls surround us as we hurry down the alleyway.

I stop dead in my tracks as we delve deeper and deeper, my neck straining to look upwards to the grey high walls that loom above us as we reach an abrupt end to our possible escape, pursing my lips together as the orb of light jolts left to right, a rapid flickering of the blaze painting the walls with my shadow. It's a fucking dead end, of _course _there's a dead end in this stupid fucking mock of a town in this _specific _alleyway we're going down to avoid the fucking monsters. The once comforting warmth of its flames marred with an undeniable worry that I can _feel _emanate from it, stirring and mixing with my own as it sits in my chest. I twist my neck around and listen out for them, my ears twitching as the scraping of their claws echo throughout the alley way in this desolate area, the mental image of their ravenous and savage claws of darkness getting a hold of me, or of this orb.. It doesn't exactly fill me with confidence for a situation as bleak as this.

Despite the worry that brews in my chest for myself and my companion, there's a sense of determination that fuels my veins, humming to myself. We can't run any more, and I don't think we can force any of these walls down without being caught in the way, and I don't want to be stuck along with the debris. Can't take flight, I can't afford to freeze in this place regardless of how unnerving it may be, time to fight then. Gods I feel like my hearts going to push itself out of my chest, but I have to push through, I _have _to. My hands brush along my waist, a hiss forcing itself out of my throat as my hands find no purchase. Fucking fantastic, this is another time where I'd actually appreciate having a weapon on me.

"Hey glowing buddy, I don't suppose you have anything stuffed away that I can use to beat off these monsters, right?" I hiss to the orb as I stand alongside it, my tense jaw cracking as I force myself to ungrit my teeth, the echoes of their approach pricks at my senses, the hair on the back of my neck rising. I stare ahead at the only exit out of this trap, side eyeing the orb as it slows its worried and frenzied bobbing, the light inside it remaining still for a moment. A warmth fills my hand as it dims itself, looking down to it as the golden magic swirls around my hand, the both of them flashing a bright gold as I grip down on it, a familiar weight returning to my hands.

I hold the sword up to inspect it a bit closer, a soft half hearted snicker rising from my chest as I twist and turn the blade. The golden swirls that trail up and down the edge of the blade itself aside, it's a carbon fucking copy of my sword from the real world, I'd feel as if this was a joke of some kind if we were in any other position. There's an odd heat that radiates from the blade itself, a comforting one at least, reminiscent of the orb itself. I return my focus to the situation at hand as the harsh screeching of metal claws reaches its peak, the hungry pair of _things _emerging from the corner, hunched over on all fours with a shadowy look that quickly morphs into a more unnatural, but at least understandable shape.

Dark tendrils jut out from their back and spasm with unnatural and freakish movements as their oversized arms press into the ground, their fingers sticking upwards abnormally before levelling out straight, claws clacking against the ground as they make their approach. They level themselves close to the floor in a slow creeping manner, small and gaunt looking hind legs belying the potential strength behind it, the limbs all the more visible as they stand upright. Pure blank heads seem to stare into and through me despite their lack of eyes, their figure a bony and _dead _looking one, the way their rib cage seems to jut from their body is… the only way I can even bare to look at these unholy abominations is through a morbid curiosity that influences me. These things look like a disgusting mockery of human skin stretched out into an _almost _feral stance, a concoction of darkness bastardising the mixture of two legged and four legged life, what could create a thing like this? Better yet, how does something as strong as an all consuming beast become… whatever the fuck those are, perhaps its power was drained while trying to break through the barrier?

I hold my glowing and likely magic infused blade upwards, holding the hilt in the grasp of both my hands as my companion brightens itself, the monsters hissing in displeasure as the dark that encompasses them fades and washes away ever so slightly. Their dark and lifeless grey skin matches the look of the rest of this place, the two of them shuddering and twitching like monstrous animals they are as they fall back onto all fours, the unnatural twitching of their movements putting doesn't help with the nerves that spike in my body. My companion throws themselves into my pocket, nestling away within the hopefully safe confines of it, thankfully the light that radiates from it spills out of the concealing cloth.

My heart beat slowly begins to rise in my chest as the monsters of the dark approach, the two of them carefully and deliberately creeping closer even as their tendrils lash and jerk around, the hiss of their chattering forcing my ears to twitch. Are these things _communicating_? Why couldn't they just be mindless beasts, it'd make this fuckfest a lot easier to deal with. I take in slow and deep breaths and inch myself forward, keeping my back to the wall even as they approach. I mightn't be able to escape, but I best at least try to not be surrounded by these things. A shiver runs up my spine as the image of their claws raking my flesh flashes in my mind, for something that looks like stretched out skin, the marks they leave across the cobblestone as they crawl closer shows that it's capable.

I return my focus onto the enemies as my companion squirms in my pocket, the feeling of resolve steeling my shaky hands as I jab my tip towards them. I won't falter, not at the risk of myself once more, I don't want to see what happens if my life ends here, let alone my glowing buddy.

Their chattering and hissing turns into yowling that sounds akin to metal screeching on metal, eyes squinting while I wince, ears twitching and splaying flat against my neck as the two monsters begin to bicker, what seems like a verbal power struggle occurring between them as they screech and squeal. What the fuck? Don't these things have a united goal? Why are they barking at one another? I don't expect things to make sense here, but is this a plan of theirs? A ploy to get me to drop my guard? I refocus my attention once more as I stare at them with an unwavering look, if there's one thing I can do, it's be a stubborn mother fucker.

The screeching reaches a peak as one of the monsters lunges forth, the skittering nose of claws against tone echoing throughout the alley as it scrabbles in the grey, the unnatural length of its arms reaching and stretching as it readies a swipe, the bones in its shoulders morphing and distorting as it rears itself back. Despite how hurried it seemed to be in range, the attack itself seems so _slow_, what's this things plan? Does it have a plan? And, well, if it's claw is the only dangerous part about it…

I step forth into the monster, my sword gleaming with a glow as I twist it in my hands, swinging the blade upwards into it, the trails of magic that encompases it flares up as the steel meets the monsters limb. The blade slices through its grey flesh and separates it from its body almost effortlessly, the howl of pain from the being echoes throughout the alleyway as it scampers away from me, dragging itself across the ground with its remaining arm back to its ally, a dark and thick liquid spilling out from its wound akin to blood, if it was more like sludge than anything else. The twitching limb that lays against the stone curls and uncurls its fist, cutting at its freakishly long forearm with its sharpened claws, wriggling and writhing as if barely managing to cling to life before finally laying limp, its grey skin turning a deep black as it begins to bloat and bubble, black sludge seeps from the forming cracks in its skin before it deflates, the rest of the limb turning into sludge as it soaks into the stone, dissipating entirely soon after.

I stare at the monster as it drags itself back to it's companion, the unintelligible screeching that presses against my ears like chalk on a blackboard seems… more gentle than normal, the more cautious of the two wrapping its elongated arms around the injured one, hissing gentle as they press against each other, a darker shade of grey falling upon the both.

I uh, I didn't think that'd work to be honest, or at least so easily. Does it have something to do with the light magic that's imbued in this dream made sword or something? I suppose I have to thank my friend for it, if it were this easy though, then I could've done with less running. It's one way to disarm a threat I suppose without killing them. A soft morbid chuckle forces itself out of my throat, heh, the monster was _disarmed_. Adrian probably would've found that funny.

I shuffle on my feet as the both of them remain in that position, a heavy and tense silence falling on the dead end alleyway. What am I meant to do here? Should I rush them, or is this just a ploy? Despite their monstrous look, they're intelligent enough to discuss between themselves, and they're _caring _enough for one to look after the other. What the fuck are these things, and why does it feel so familiar? Am I forgetting something again?

Tendrils of darkness wrap itself around the crouching pair, a black flame encircling around the both of them, my ears flattening against my head as it flares up with a ravenous hunger. Ahah, no, not fucking approaching that, go to fucking _hell_ dammit. I let out a sigh as I press my back against the wall, fatigue washing over my body as I rub a hand against my face, my little friends pulse of light magic fighting against the lethargic feeling. Fuck, I don't think I can stay here much longer, the more that it tries to help me, the less it effective it becomes.

The harsh black flames die down eventually, a comparatively small dark blob resting in the place the monsters once laid, slowly rising and folding in and out of itself before standing upright. A thick shadow wraps around its neck like a blanket, falling around itself with a hefty and fleshy sounding 'whap', the black figure encompassed in darkness, the hood that rests upon its head covering all but its grey glowing grin, ever widening. It's arms fall limply by its sides, its right side morphed and contorted into a conjoined blade, the tip shining in the darkness as it jabs the tip of it towards me.

I bite the inside of my cheek as I ready myself, holding my sword upwards with a tightening grip. This is a fucking joke, isn't it? I didn't realise monsters had a sense of fucking humour.

I return it's cockly stare with a determined glare of my own, rolling my shoulders again as golden magic wisps flicker up my blade. I have to fight a fucking evil doppelganger of myself made of shadow, fucking _hilarious_.

Fine, fucking fine then, you want to do this shit then you pile of garbage nightmare? We'll do it then, always wanted to beat the shit out of myself.


	40. Chapter 40

I fight down a wince as the monstrous beast bellows a shrill shriek, an almost tangible force pressing against my body as it loosens its maw to an inhuman degree, masking its depraved leer for a moment before launching itself forward. A chill runs up and through my body as its stark white grin stains itself in my mind, its shoulder twisting in a monstrous manner as it shoves its blade forward, a rush of wind from the force of the stab brushing over my face as I barely side step out of the way, the crumbling sound of stone and dust filling my ears as I step into the monster with a strike to the side. My sword passes through its body as if striking air, a disturbing sounding giggling filling my ears as the monster fades into wisps of darkness, reappearing in its original spot with its condescending and cruel grin, its spare hand pressing against the blankness of its face as it throws its head back, a high pitched laughter echoing throughout the alleyway, my ears pressing down as I gaze behind myself for a brief moment. A deep holes been drilled into the once almost impossibly solid looking stone wall, the sludge of darkness dripping from the hole. Such destruction from a singular strike from this thing…

I grit my teeth and return my focus on the cackling monster, its dark hand slipping down its face as it stumbles forth, the dripping of darkness falling off of its arm and onto the rock beneath, fading into its irregular wisps. Alright, I can't get hit by this thing unless I want to fucking _explode_, shouldn't be too hard, right? How the fuck am I meant to hit this thing to begin with? If it can shift itself whenever it wishes, then it can't simply be killed by bonking it in the skull with the sharp part of a sword.

It's shrill shriek fills my ears once more as it rushes forward, it's disgusting looking blade raised high into the air as it stares down with a perverse grin, the muscles in my leg tensing as I leap away from the downwards strike, my eyes squinting to shield itself from the rock and dust kicked up from the force of the blow. The monsters head twists to face me as I land atop the stone, an unnatural cold creeping from my paws to my spine as its inhuman grin only widens further, a bead of sweat forming on my forehead as I crouch low, keeping my legs tensed and prepared to dash out of the way. Son of a bitch, I can't fight this thing can I? Just how fast can it move to begin with? Maybe if I get out of this alleyway I could _try _something? Maybe I could run it around until it runs itself out of energy? It's powers _must _have diminished over time in this place, similar to the orb, or at least with forcing itself into the town. Why would it deliberately limit itself otherwise? There has to be a limit to its stamina, right? It'd explain the chang-

It shrieking pierces my mind and my thoughts, my mind turning blank as the blood in veins pulsate with adrenaline as it lunges forth once more, rolling out of its rampaging path, my shoulder flaring up in pain as I tumble onto the hard floor. I stumble to my feet as I complete the roll and force my burning legs to move in an attempt to scurry out of the enclosed area, sparing a look towards the monster with the twist of my neck. Its sword arm's lodged deep within the stone of the wall, a shiver running up my spine as its maniacal cackling scrapes against my ear drums, almost sounding as if it's ricocheting off of the walls as I turn away from the sight, zoning in on the exit of this trap. I feel my friend jolt around in my cloak pocket, its chiming barely audible beneath the shrieking and devilish laughter, the thundering heart in my chest tempered only slightly by the desperate feeling of warmth that comes from the orb. The edges of my vision blurs as I close in on the exit, the cold air that fills my lungs clutch at my chest like an invasive hand, gritting my teeth and pushing myself towards the end. It's just in reach, where can I go from here? Does it matter? I don't know how to fight this thing dammit, what the fuck am I going to do!?

A gutteral yelp spews out from my throat as a flash of black erupts from the ground, stumbling and backing away from the wall of darkness, the black sludge twitches and flickers in the lingering light of the orb, as if mimicking a dark flame. I take in deep and shuddering breaths as I step away from the wall, a cold feeling running through my veins as my hands tremble. F-fuck, fucking fire, of _course _it's fucking fire. My teeth chatter as I twist around, holding my tremoring sword hand up and close to my chest, widened eyes sticking to the monster as it approaches. It trudges closer despite its unnatural speed, its back twisting at odd angles as it leans over, the tip of its blade digging into and cutting straight through the stone. The unnatural sound of it threatens to tear at the insides of my ears, a whimper escaping my mouth as I flatten them. W-what the fuck? What's this chilling feeling? Why can't I steady my sword towards the monster? Where'd all that bravado go Zeke, was it just an imitation of actual bravery that you just _believe _to be real, a mask to hide behind because you think you're a hero? Stupid, stupid fucking boy, stupid me, you're gonna die here, _I'm _going to die here aren't I? But it's just a dream, just a nightmare, why does it all feel so real then? Why can't I feel my limbs, why can't I think straight? So much for wanting to beat the shit out yourself, you fucking _**coward**_.

I can't even swallow down the clog that builds in my throat, the whimper that tries to escape it dying down inside of my chest as I feel the cold flickering of the wall behind me, my only exit barricaded off by that malevolent force. The encroaching dark smothers my vision, legs trembling as I wheeze for breath, a high pitched shrieking noise echoing throughout the alleyway as it approaches. The clattering sound of my sword hitting the ground before dissipating into a faint noise that fills my ears as it looms over me, its face dipping to level with mine, its monstrous maw widening. It's teeth encompases my vision as the thunderous beats in my chest reaches a peak. It's so close, so so close, I don't want this thing next to me, please get away from me! Get away!

The choking in my throat prevents even my screech from escaping my lips, raising a numb and shuddering arm up and punching it through its teeth, a shattering noise filling my ears as a fist brute forces its way through its once imposing looking teeth. My lips curl upwards as it falls limply on my arm with a gurgle, my hand wriggling around inside its head, it feels like my arm's covered in the same sludge it seems to be made of. Its sword arm evaporates into dark wisps, leaving behind a copy of its more human one, I continue to wriggle and shuffle the body along with my arm to test the waters. It continues to lay limp, like a heavy sack of potato latched onto my arm. A relieved and croaky sigh escapes my throat, chuckling soon after as I brush away the sweat that's beaded on my forehead. Really, that was it? That wasn't so hard! I was just overreacting, nothing more and nothing less. Haaaaah, that was a fucking joke, I feel so fucking baited from all that.

I hum to myself as I use an arm to grip at its shoulder, shoving it back as I try to yank my arm out of its mouth, a panicking feeling rising in my chest as I try to wrench it from the monsters insides. The hairs on the back of my neck stands on end as the limp body shudders, something in the thing grips at my wrist and pulls me back in, a slimy hand gripping at my shoulder as I freeze. It looks up to me with a revolting leer, darkness dripping from the holes in its mouth and over my arm, a frightened yelp coming from my mouth as I pull away. Oh god, oh _please no_.

My back burns as I press against the dark wall, the cracking of bones filling the air as it continues to drag at my arm, the dark reforming itself into a brutal teeth, that clutches at my forearm. The yelping turns into pained screaming as it continues to gnar at my arm, feeling as if sharp miniature blades cut and grind at me. Oh god, Zeke you fucking _FAILURE_, what have you done? The fear pounds in my chest as pain flares up all over my body, my blurred vision only intensifying as I gaze into the horror, my head feeling lighter by the moment. Oh god please don't do this to me, I don't want to _die here, I don't wanT TO BE EATEN._

…

My eyes flutter open to the sight of a dark abyss, a deep seated feeling of heavy gloom weighing in on my chest as I stand stock still, a lifeless feeling imbued within my limbs. I half heartedly look around the area, nothing more than a dark black void of no discernable qualities surrounds me before looking down to myself, my body a translucent looking state, flexing my fingers in an attempt to feel them. They feel dead, like a lifeless limb. An uncomfortable snicker brushes past my lips as I hold my hands to my face, a maddening feeling grin appearing on my lips as I bury my unfeeling face into my hands. Hahah, ahahahah! Fantastic, fan-fucking-tastic, you've really cocked it up now haven't you Zeke? You dumn fucking bastard, did you really get yourself killed by that? Trying to punch out a monster because it's too damn close, you'd be able to use your legs if you didn't lock up and freeze like the slow bastard you are.

The snickering dies down quickly, my arms hanging limply by my side with a heavy feeling, neck craning to look over the rest of myself. Ahah, I look just like Adrian, now isn't that a nice dose of irony? I decide to risk my neck for my own snide shard of myself and end up looking just like him in the end! Fantastic, absolutely fucking fantastic, lets try beating our heads in with our fists instead of getting eaten alive by a demon monster. It'd probably be less painful.

I sigh and continue to mentally curse at myself, relaxing my body to fall limp into the void. Can't exactly say I'm excited to stay in this purgatory looking place until death comes around and gives me the lecture, when would that happen though? How long does it take for one to show up to begin with anyways, does time for it and the soul stop? With how many people can die, it wouldn't surprise if that was the case…

I hum and continue to wait around, patting myself down every so often to try to revive any sense of feeling in my body, the gears in my head turning despite the lethargic feeling of gloom that saturates this place. This, this isn't purgatory is it? No, I still remember how that place feels, the dank feeling of that place and its stygian darkness isn't going to leave my memory any time soon. This isn't _quite _that place, the chill that seeps into my soul lacks the same intensity that I can recall from it. It could be that I've just become used to that feeling, and yet, something scratches at my chest, a sort of faint hope that seems to strive to blossom in the darkness. I blink once, then twice, sighing and mashing my face into my hand. That's a rather… frivolous sounding thought if I'm gonna be honest, and it clashes quite a bit with the lingering fright that presses against my heart. Do I really want to try to see what's going on? Such a monster like that, could I even try to face that thing again? What if I freeze up again? If this is _another _chance, then I wouldn't want to waste it.

A chiming echoes in the darkness, feeling my ears peek up as I twist my neck towards the source, a flickering light dancing in the distance. Its light seems to dance and twist in the distance, its intensity and radiance growing in intensity with every passing moment. I sigh and stumble my way closer to the light, a bitter feeling in my chest despite the encroaching warmth. If I'm going to get _another _chance to do some shit, then I might as well take it, this is what, the third chance I think? All this feels as if it's a contrived way to make my mind more muddled, but it's not as if this place makes any sense to begin with. I close my eyes as the light finally arrives, borderline scorching my frail feeling body with its warmth as it washes over me, feeling returns to my limbs as I-

-take in a shuddering breath of air, a cold feeling returning and reinvigorating my limbs as my eyelids fly open, hunched over as I stare at the monstrous thing. It's once savage and proud grin reduced to one of an almost unbridled fury, a snarl coming from its lips as it pounces forth once more, its shadowy sword arm brought back into existence. My eyes widen as my feet remain rooted to the floor, refusing to budge despite the screaming of my muscles, the sound of my pounding heart filling my ears with the rush of blood as I hold my arms up in front of me, squeezing my eyes shut. Out of the shadowy pits and back into the blade of a beastly form of myself.

The squeezing of my eyelids softens as the sound of metal clashing against metal fills my ears, hesitating for a moment before opening them completely, a sense of confusing coming to the forefront of my mind as I look at my raised arm. My left hand grips at the reappeared blade, my right arm hanging limply by my side as I feel my teeth grit against itself, the feeling of a heavy strain placed onto my sword arm as I stare into the covered eyes of the monster.

I didn't do that. That's not _me _controlling _my _arm.

The monsters pushed away with a hefty shove, a shrill shriek coming from it as my arm darts forward with a quick slice to its chest, the edge of the blade glowing a bright gold as it carves itself through the pulsating darkness. Its shrieking continues as it fades into dark wisps, reappearing away from me, babbling and screaming an incomprehensible jumble of words. I purse my lips together and hold my blade up, the tip pointing to the grey sky as it glows gold once more before crouching, angling the tip of it towards its chest as I feel my eyes squint.

What the fuck? What's going on? Who the fuck _dares _try to control _ME_. The nerves in my brain pulses with an angry flare of pain, squeezing _my _eyes shut as I feel a hand press against my head, a screech echoing throughout my skull as I feel my body twist and twirl, opening my eyes to the spinning of the grey walls that surround me. The reverberation of my blade striking flesh is something I feel before I can see, my eyes catching up with the sight of a golden edge cutting through the monsters arm, a dark sludge spilling from the open wound as it slinks away, staining the ground beneath us and wriggling around like a snake. Its unrestrained vehemence is plain as day on its face despite its dark visage, its curled lips on the borderline of turning from furious to savage. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I shift slightly, the phantom feeling of my beating heart pounding in my chest. There's something inside me that's screaming, to the point it _forces _my ears to twitch despite the lack of control in my body. It's a trap, its a fucking trap, I know it!

Despite the internal screaming that occurs in my mind, my body still rushes into the beast, trodding over the squirming sludge that lays across the floor, its monstrous grin widening. A yelp of pain forces itself through my throat as the remains leaps and grips on my right leg, squeezing like a vice as a sharp feeling runs itself through my leg, dropping onto a knee with a whimper of pain. It pulses with my heartbeat and continues to jab into my leg, glancing down to it before looking back to the monster, a disgusting grin of victory appearing on its face as it shifts in front of me. It looks down with a mocking stare while it levels its blade to my chest, taking a small step back before driving it towards my chest, towards my heart.

My eyes widen and time seems to slow as I stare at the incoming blade, a black ichor smothering the tip of it that drips onto the stone below, flashes of memories flooding my mind. From the memories of my friends and the promise I made to Mabel, to the _disgusting _fight that pushed me into my mind to begin with. A bitter feeling stirs in my chest, a mix of disgruntled pride and stubbornness. I might be a fucking coward, a craven bastard who shat themselves at the threat of being eaten alive, but if I'm gonna die then I'll accept it in control of _MY _body. I'll die on _MY _two feet!

The concoction of emotions boils over and floods my veins with a determined fire that tears at my skull, my heart feels as if it's tearing at the seams of my body as I raise my arms up, forcing the overpowering energy to disperse around me. A high pitched cry spills out from the monster as it's blown away, a triumphant cheering pouring out of my throat as it tumbles across the floor, a gutteral angered growl as it shifts itself back onto its feet, still stumbling backwards. I grin as I stand onto my two feet, an energetic feeling washing away the once pained and lethargic weight that burdens my body, tilting my head back and looking down to the bastard. I dunno why the fuck I can feel like I can use magic now, and why the stabbing pain in my legs gone, but now we're fucking talking!

"I might be a coward for the most part, and this might just be a fleeting moment of the faux bravado that I seem to do, I don't feel too scared of you." I gloat to the monstrous thing as my grin widens. I stand still for a few moments, my grin waning quickly as I blink, did he uh, not hear me? No, I'm fairly sure I said that out loud, what the fuck? I tilt my head and stare into his face, a grimace clear on his face as it begins to heave, though it still holds its blade arm up.

...He's not looking at me, he's looking _through _me. I finally look down to myself, my eyes widening as I look though _myself_, as crystal clear as I was before, just _outside _of my mind instead. My gaping mouth opens and closes as I curl my fingers, oh my god, I'm a fucking _ghost_. A high pitched whine jolts me from my thoughts, twisting my neck to look behind me, and straight at _myself_.

My face is all sorts of fucked up, battered and bruised as I pant for air, though a faint smile still stains my lips as I look up. The smile widens as my eyes twinkle, my _golden _coloured eyes. A chill runs up my spine as I look down to myself, the gears in my head turning and processing this information. I uh, I guess that explains why I couldn't control myself. Man, I've kind of usurped Adrians job huh? I don't actually feel much beyond surprise really, I don't think that the realization of this hit me _just _yet. I shake my head clear of my thoughts and turn back to the monster, humming to myself as it growls, my ears twitching as I hear my body grunt. I wince lightly as the feeling of a phantom pain echoes through my leg while it twitches, I guess my body's standing back up then. The monsters growling turns into a feral sounding snarl as it dissipates into wisps of darkness, something that feels akin to a blizzards wind passing through my ethereal body, a grin still on my face despite the uncomfortable feeling. Oh man, this fuckers gonna get a rude surprise, fuck this guy.

I turn around as the monster begins to form itself once more, it looks like it's a lot more sluggish than it used to be as it raises its sword arm once more. Hah, maybe I was right about it having its limits, the longer the fights went on, the slower seems to become. A swirl of energy stirs in the core of my chest as I raise my arms, a flare of blue binding itself to my arms as I force it onto the monster, a strain on my chest and mind as I force the beast to hold still. It snarls and squirms in my grasp like a beast in a cage, a snide grin on my face as I glare at the back of its head, its mocking mimicry of myself seems a lot less terrifying now. I see my body stumble and close in on the frozen monster, its shriek of pain music to my ears as I see my blade driven through its dark chest. Its shrieking continues to echo in the alley way as it struggles in its magical chains, I'd feel sweat beading on my forehead if I had the capability to do it, pursing my lips together as my body continues to shank at its chest with wild abandon.

It's inhuman body continues to struggle, the once solid looking form of its body shifting and mutating like the _monster _it is, the battering of the energy in my body taking its toll as it fights. Jesus Christ, why the fuck won't you die dammit? An idea hatches in my mind as I see my body slow in its stabbing, I can hear the heaving for breath just under the screams of the beast, I still try to keep a solid hold on its squirming body as I float beside myself. I look over with a side eye, the golden eyes that's taking place of my usual blue ones look so tired, so _drained_, but I can still see the stoic determination at the forefront of its bright eyes. I wince as the strain in my core only swells with the distortion of the beast, nodding to my occupied body as I lay a hand on the hilt of the sword, passing through the physical hand itself. The blue and gold swirling magic mixes and combines with one another as we pull the blade back, the metal of the sword twisting and warping as we plunge it into the beasts chest. It stutters and chokes as a blinding light fills my vision, the only audible sounds being the dying cries of the beast along with the snapping of metal.

The bright light dies down eventually, as does the energy in my chest, heaving in gasps of dead air as I stare at the blank spot in front of us. There's naught more than the bubbling remains of darkness that stains at the rock beneath us, dissipating into shadowy wisps and disappearing. The sound of someone crumbling to the floor fills my ears, as does the gasping of air, looking down to myself. It looks up to me with a bright grin, golden eye twinkling with a strange happiness, a strange _thankfulness_.

I give it a nod before taking a seat in front of it, the remaining residue of energy burning lightly within my chest as I take in a deep breath. Fuck, that took quite a bit out of me, didn't it? I'm just glad it worked, I didn't think it'd take so many stabs to the chest, especially with how the orbs magic _removed _one of the monsters, before they formed anyways. A light cheer brings me out of my thoughts, a bright smile still stained on its face as it looks up to me. Huh? Oh, right, mind reading shit.

"So, can you guess that I probably have a _lot _of questions related to the whole… all of this really, mostly the possession thing, _especially _the possession thing." I rhetorically ask the current inhabitant of my body with a raised brow. It makes a worried chuckling motion with its shoulders, rubbing at the back of its neck awkwardly.

"I guess you still can't talk then?" I continue to pry at the being, its answer being a rapid nodding before standing onto its feet. I hover back into a standing position myself as it raises a hand to its throat, making a crossing motion with a finger. Hm, I guess it just doesn't know _how _to talk, not that it just lacked vocal cords. I hum to myself as it nods, a bright and oddly innocent looking smile on its face. Eaugh, it looks weird seeing that smile on _my _face, it doesn't fit. It makes a chuckling motion again, it's smile only widening, at least one of us finds this funny.

"So uh, how do we fix… _this_, I know I seem kind of calm at the moment with it and everything, but I'm almost entirely sure that the information still hasn't hit me properly just yet. I'd like my body back, please and thank you." I say with a huff as I cross my arms. Its smile turns to an abashed looking one, rubbing at the back of its neck before opening its arms out wide, making a hugging motion.

"I'm uh, meant to hug you? You're not trying to fuck with me are you?" I ask tentatively with a raised eyebrow, suspicion only rising as its chuckling motions return, nodding its head rapidly. I can't tell what type of 'yes' that means, but I guess I'll bite at least.

"I have so, so many fucking questions, do you think any of them's gonna be answered sometime soon? Cause holy fuck I wan't some god damn answers" I ask it again as I stand in front of it, rolling my eyes as its eyes dart away. Alright, I'll chalk that under 'maybe' I guess. I step forth and wrap my arms around my chest, an uncomfortable feeling stirring in my chest as feel arms wrap around my shoulders, a painful tugging feeling at the center of my chest, squeezing my eyes shut-

-before they shoot open again, a woozy feeling weighing on my mind as I groan, reaching up and gripping at my head as I stumble. I blink rapidly as I look around, taking in the stale air as I look down to my hands, clenching and unclenching them as I look down. I wince at the pain that jolts through my right hand as I do so though, the dried blood staining my hand visible underneath the torn leather glove, why'd my _right _side of my body get so fucked by this? This is bullshit, I'm miffed that it fucked with my cloak too, bastard of a monster. Chiming brings me out of my thoughts, looking up to the familiar sight of the golden orb darting in front of my vision, I let out a soft sigh as I look down to my leg, wincing at sight of it. I'll uh, I'll deal with that later, or just let the wound clog up naturally, that sounds like a good idea too, I'll just play it safe and pray I don't have to do any running.

"So little buddy, any idea where we're meant to g- oh." My question dies off mid sentence as I look around, although the dark flame wall's still raised and obstructing our path, the once dead end's now opened up into a ruined clearing. Well, it's the only way out of here I guess…

I sigh as the orb charges ahead into the clearing wincing with each step I take as I limp after it. I can already see all this 'excitement' catching up with me and kicking ass later on, I can already feel the exhaustion in my fucking bones.

…

I take in slow deep breaths as I trudge across the mossy stone walkway of what looks like a village center, remains of wooden stalls and wagons strewn throughout the area itself, a crumbling waterless fountain at the centerpiece of the area. I limp around it, my eyes squinting as I scrutinize the carvings in the stone, grunting as the pain in my leg flares up. A seething hiss shoves itself out through my teeth, gently seating myself down onto the overgrown stone, my hands rubbing at my abused leg, the still bloodied and wet feeling fur brushing against my hand between my torn seams of the ruined glove, a cold chill running up my spine as a stiff wind brushes around me. The orb chimes and hovers before my face, pressing its cold body against my nose for a brief moment before zipping over to my leg. At least this gives me some time to let it heal, even for a brief moment.

"Don't worry about that, I just need to rest for a bit, save the rest of your magic for when I _actually _need it." I hiss to the concerned looking orb, the thing jolting away from me soon after. I sigh to myself and rub at my face with my spare hand, tacking a soft 'please' at the end of my demand soon after. The pain in my leg dulls down eventually, my neck turning to face and reading the inscriptions, shaking my head to rid myself of the blur that creeps at the edges of my visions. Mn, maybe I'm a little bit more roughed up from that fight than I first thought,then again, these _are _really small carvings... Besides, there's nothing wrong with a little break to calm down, right? It'd give myself some time to recover after all, it'll be a short short one, I promise you that.

I reach up and grip my hands against the sturdier looking parts of the stone wall, the muscles in my arm burning as I force it to drag myself closer to the stone. I ignore the troubled sounding chiming of my friend as I hum, squinting my eyes to read at the depictions, brushing a thumb over some bits to wipe away at the grey dust that's built up from… some time of neglect I assume, everything else looks like a run down pile of garbage, minus the more war torn parts of course. My humming persists as I purse my lips together, the orb chiming once more as its bright light hovers above just behind my shoulder, I can feel the heat that it's giving off rather intimately, more so than normal anyways. Hey, I think I kind of know what this is, it's not exactly objects that's being pictured in this stone, but I know it's something I've seen before, but where? Oh, wait, these are _words_, aren't they? Son of a bitch.

"...I cant fucking read this." I finally say aloud with a blank tone, pushing out a disappointed hump as I slump against the wall, using it as an uncomfortable and hopefully short lived resting place. Of course it's something that I can't fucking read, that was a fucking waste of time. A confused sounding chime comes from my friend as it softly rests atop my injured leg, I can't tell if the golden wisps of its magic is actually helping me or if it's like, a placebo effect from being used to it doing that. Regardless, it's at least comforting in a way, I just hope that it's not wasting its strength any more than it needs to. I raise an eyebrow to it as it remains still on my leg, the mental image of a fox looking upwards with a puzzled expression flashes past my mind, squeezing my mind shut and shaking my head soon after. It's just your mind Zeke, it's just your mind, nothing more and nothing less, it's not actually her.

"What? Are you confused or something? This isn't in English, or human, however you wanna say it, so I can't read it." I explain in a huff, furrowing my brow as its light chiming flows through the air, the soft tinkling sound forcing my ears to twitch, its body jolting up and down rhythmically. Hah, you're laughing at me again, aren't you little buddy? Glad one of us finds this situation amusing. Its chiming dies down slowly, the orb floating up and brushing against my cheek with a warm feeling as I squirm a little, readjusting my back against the miniature stone wall, it's a pretty poor pillow to be honest, but I'll make due. The leathery padding of my cloak's at least intact, so it's somewhat cushioned despite the somewhat scuffed look of the rest of the coat. Thank god this is all just a dream, none of this should carry over into the real world. At least I _hope _not, who the fuck knows, I can't tell if this is real or a dream or a nightmare dammit.

"I kind of recognise some of these symbols though, I think this might be basitin writing, I don't suppose you can translate this shit right?" I ask the orb sarcastically, mumbling it in a low tone as I continue to shuffle around, just a few more moments here to sooth the pain, I promise I'll be up and moving soon. Its chiming response is low and dull, placing itself back onto my leg and turning silent afterwards, it almost sounds apologetic. I bite down the sour feeling that pushes itself through my throat, a bitter sounding 'tsk' being my only reply as I lay my head against the rock, looking out into the expanse of the grey and black sky. I continue to hum tunelessly as I brush my fingers against the glass body of the orb, caressing it idly. There's a ghastly but intriguing allure to the sky above, I'm used to the bright blue colour that seems to constantly permeate the sky in the real world, at least in the memories that I can recall. I can still remember how that looks at least, and putting it next to the down-trodden look of this place is… interesting, I suppose.

I think I'm just killing time to laze around at this point, just stirring in my own thoughts, angry at myself for freezing up like a deer in the headlights when I was pushed. I think it might be best to force myself forward to take my mind off of it, at least till I get to somewhere else, somewhere that hopefully has Adrian. Keep focused Zeke, that's why you're here, because you miss the voice in your head that constantly chews you out for existing. I'm not exactly sure what that says about me as a person where I consider that a friend, don't think I want to sit on that topic very long either.

I grunt as I force myself onto my two feet, a pained feeling flaring up and pulsating through my wounded leg, biting the inside of my cheek as I feel my leg tremble, choking down the whine that threatens to push itself out of my throat. My friends chiming pipes up with a renewed sense of worry, zipping from side to side as it nudges against my face.

"I'll be fine, little buddy." I say slowly through a shuddering sigh, gently pushing it away with a hand, wincing as I put more weight on the leg. Ah, fuck, that's gonna hurt for a bit, but I'll be fine so long as I don't have to do any more fighting, or running. I don't think I can last if _it _has to take control again, too. I limp away from the fountain, mumbling to myself as I try to smother the bitter feeling that builds in my chest, looking down to my sluggish legs as I mindlessly follow after my small friend. I didn't exactly like being controlled like that, in the end it's what had to be done so we _both _lived through my own mistake, but I _hate _it, such a fucking terrible feeling. Part of me feels like I've been yanked from the jaws of death through mere luck alone rather than me _actually _trying. I know I can fight to save my life, I've _murdered _to do it for fucks sake, loathe as I am to admit it. Why couldn't I face myself without outside interference, is it just because of this place alone?

The dull sound of my miniature friends chiming brings me out of my thoughts, looking over to it with a hum and a raised brow. It jolts and circles around my head briefly before dragging my sight around, craning my neck as I look upwards, an impossibly large building appearing in front of me. It looks like a town hall with how it's structured, though just… oddly oversized, in a way that seems to shift and mutate at the edges of my vision, what does this remind me of? What the fuck is this _made _of to begin with to do something like that, or is that just a trick of the mind? It doesn't like the last town hall I've been in from the outside, is it going to be as church-like as that, or is this meant to be something different? I don't even _begin _to recall that towns name, it feels like it's been an age since I've even thought of it, it wasn't Dartwood, right? I purse my lips together as I look over the lofty looking doors, the dark sturdy wood that it's made of seems surprisingly well maintained despite the overgrown look of the arch that encompasses it. Such a stark difference in quality… why _is _that? The little orb chimes once more as it hovers in front of the door, a light knocking noise echoing into the dusk as it bounces off of the wood with a light thunking.

"I assume you want me to get in there, right?" I ask the floating orb with a dry tone, the things cheery chiming is far from a surprise to me. I hum to myself as I step closer to the doors, the looming height of the thing seems to grow ever higher as I step face to face with it, a scratching feeling at the back of my mind. This thing… It's only really helped me so far, but it's shown that it can _make _me do things at the expense of its own power, what's to say that there isn't more subtle manipulation going on behind the scenes. It chimes once more and thuds against the door, I guess it _really _wants me to get inside then, huh?

A heavy sigh escapes my chest as I push myself onto the door, the creaking of its metal hinges screeches and scrapes uncomfortably against my ears, a lethargic feeling washing over my body as I stumble into the room, eyes rapidly blinking as I look around the hall with the little friend lighting the way. Wooden pews line the church looking hall from one end to the other, my claws clicking against the marble floor as I divert my gaze around the rest of this place, the dull coloured stained glass windows still twinkle in the grey moon lit rays, depictions of strange _things _laid out within them. The vast majority of these glass stained windows seem to be entirely artistic, grey coloured roses and crosses catch my eyes immediately, although there's other pieces of art that's held within their glass portraits.

From mosaics of masked beings clad in dark cloaks that seem to flitter within the twinkling, obscuring something they surround with an almost possessive need to protect from view to the fantastical look scaly dragons that's placed beside them, their white and grey draconic wings seem to beat up and down with deliberate and heavy force despite being simply pictures of glass, fire splayed from their gaping maws towards other obscured beings. I stagger and limp further into the hall, the vastness of the place seems ever growing. Another piece of art catches my eyes, an oddly regular piece planted within the glass, a soft faced human wearing a stark white robe that sparkles from the everlasting gloom, deep brown hair flowing from her scalp down her back and falling against a pair of pure white wings that sprout from her back.

I stare into the hollow eyes of the woman within the painting, the way she gazes down to me seems… odd, very odd, the unwavering stare of her seems to look through me. With how _wild _this place is, would a glass stained window like this have thoughts of its own? Does she look down to me with an uncaring stare, or with a sympathetic pittance? And what of the rest of this church looking place? While some panels seem to be nothing more than fancy window dressing, surely that the more detailed pieces have some sort of meaning, right? I think I remember what this thing's meant to be, that's an angel right? Does the image of angels exist on Mekkan, I can't imagine that they would, what's what the Masks are for after all.

Something inside's screaming at me the more I drift around this hall, an uncomfortable feeling stirring in my chest that my companion of light can do little do dull despite its attempts, the washing of its once comforting light feels like a shadow of what it once was. Jesus Christ, this nightmareish place is a drag on my god damn mind _and _body, fan-fucking-tastic.

"Hey, light buddy, I already told you to knock it off until I actually need a good jolt of that stuff. I'm just tired is all, it's not as if I'm gonna be rendered immovable from walking around, a scratch isn't gonna stop me from doing that." I remind the glowing orb in a croaky tone, staring at it as it hovers in front of me. It's chiming brushes over my ears as it hangs low, an almost dejected feeling coming from the surprisingly expressive orb. I bite the inside of my cheek as I rub at my face with a hand, gently brushing at the glass feeling of its body with the other.

"Ah, I don't mean to actually make you upset little buddy. I really am tired of _everything _from this pile of garbage place in general, not solely you. You're the reason I'm still standing after all, this place is sapping at my patience _and _energy." I continue to brush at the orb as I comfort it, a soft chirping noise flowing from it as a small smile graces my lips, forcing myself to tear my gaze away from it to examine the rest of this hall. Why does all this seem so familiar? Is this meant to be some sort of amalgamation of whatever I can and can't remember? It'd explain the strange melancholic feeling that weighs on my shoulders as I walk around here, but I can't imagine that'd answer _everything_, right? Tsk, fuck this place, bloody nightmare…

The chiming of my miniature friend brings myself back to attention, shaking away the hazy fog that presses against my mind as it flutters in front of me, the orb nudging against my cheek for a brief moment before pulling away again. My eyelids feel heavy as I rub at my face with a palm, the other resting upon the hilt of the shattered blade in an effort for comfort. I just wanted to drag Adrian out of here, and yet…

I sigh and fall limply onto a wooden pew, the wood feeling odd beneath me as I continue to rub at my face, leaning against the stiff back of it. The golden orbs chiming echoes throughout the hall as I throw my head back and stare into the ever expanding ceiling, the golden light of my companion hovering above me as I clear my throat.

"Do you think you can lead the way for a while longer? I know that's how this started, but I feel like this places been draining at me, numbing my fucking senses for a long while, and if I'm gonna be honest, I… I dunno what we're actually doing here to be honest, I have no idea what's going on, I have no idea what any of this shit is beyond face value. I just wanted to get Adrian and get out, but what about you? Are you going to be okay at the end of this little adventure? Is there anyone else that 'lives' here? And there's the whole, you know, weird _almost _possession thing, I was actually kind of worried that was what _Adrian _was gonna try to do funnily enough, eheh.." Despite my attempts to keep my throat clear, I can feel it clog up as I finish my rambling questioning, the edges of my sight watering as I sniffle and rub at the back of my neck, a familiar feeling of an overpowering concern stirring in my chest. The orb chimes sadly as it rests atop the edge of my nose, I feel my eyes turn cross eyed as I try to look at it. The golden wisps doesn't seem to do anything now, another sigh escaping my lips as I turn my eyes to face the window once more, the grey and white angel looking down on me.

So much of this place makes fuck all sense and I _hate _it, but this little orb here, there's an intelligence behind it's actions that makes me _think _that it's more than merely a memory, but I can't exactly prove such a theory, especially not at the moment. It's constant gold coloured hue and magical strain seems… somewhat intentional in a way, not exactly a malicious ruse by any means, but I can't imagine it's _just _a coincidence. I don't know much about magic, let alone magic in this place, but my own magic's just a pure blue in my eyes. Perhaps I could ask Lucy about it when I wake up? If she has the stomach to face me, anyways. Pfah, listen to me, rambling on and on about this again, I suppose there's not much to do when I'm just trying to catch my breath, and catch up on my thoughts. The golden orb that occupies my mind brings me out of it with another chiming noise, my ears twitching as it travels down my ear with an almost ringing. I'd like to imagine that it wouldn't take too much offence to a simple question, right? It might be a bit sensitive, but...

"..Who are you, little buddy? Why do you remind me of Mabel? She can't be here, so why do you mimic her? You aren't trying to pull anything out from under me, are you?" I question the orb with a wooden tone, looking at its glass body once more. It doesn't answer, it can't answer anyways, its fucking glowing orb, why'd I expect it to grow a mouth to speak to me? I let out a pessimistic 'tsk' as I rest a hand over my eyes, squeezing them shut as I sigh again. Fuck, this place _must _be grinding on my gears then, I'm not normally that cynical right? Maybe a little bit dark sometimes, but this much has to be a bit more abnormal, right? The chiming of my little friend brings me back to my senses once again, rubbing at my closed eyes before opening them once more, pushing myself to my feet, my bones cracking and shifting as I twist my body. Maybe this place is just getting to me, and I need to put a bit more trust into it. This little buddys has done nothing more than help me since I've forced myself into this place, sure it's surrounded with shit I don't understand and it has the mask of _her_, but… am I just being paranoid again? I sure hope so, it's not like I know anything that's going on here god dammit. I'm rambling again, it's probably for the best if I just try to keep moving despite my hesitation, I'm sure putting more borderline blind faith into this mess isn't gonna be a horrible idea.

"Alright, I think I've gotten enough rest for now, you wanna take the lead little buddy?" I pipe up as I brush myself down, twisting to face the floating orb. Its chiming sounds tentative yet deliberate, hovering around my face and brushing against it. My lips curl up into a small smile as I pat at the glass body once again. You can listen to my thoughts, right little buddy? I'll be fine, I won't make a promise that I don't think I can keep, but I'll do my best for you. My smile widens as the orbs chiming echoes once more, both in my mind and throughout the hall, brushing past me and circling around my head, the golden dusting of its magic falling upon my body. I let out a relieved sigh and a snicker, continuing to loosen up my joints and limbs with another stretch. The magic feels like another nice little jolt of energy that pulses through my veins, not nearly as overpowering in its invigoration as it once was, it's effects diminished through the constant suppression of this place and overuse. I _did _say to save that till I _really _needed it, I think I've said it twice, but I guess I don't have room to complain about it right now.

The chiming of the orb sounds like a dainty little giggle as it floats away from me, down the hollow sounding hall, my claws continuing to clack against the marble as I follow after it. I look upwards and into the ceiling once again, eyes squinting as I look into the darkness, an odd flickering seems to be stirring within its seemingly never ending void. I tear my eyes from the view and continue to stumble after the orb, I'm not gonna be looking into that mess, lest I lose track of time again, not to count myself. The altar area that rests at the end of the hall seems _very _familiar, what looks like a large piano built into the chapel section of the hall. A faint memory brushes past my mind, wait, I know what that is! That's a fucking _organ_, I've seen it before! It was in that memory where-

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, my heart beating faster as I limp faster after the floating orb, guiding me along the side of the chapel. There's no fucking way I'll actually meet _her _here, right? She wouldn't exist in this place, at least not as a human. And yet, why does my thundering heart beat like a jackhammer at the possibility? Who is she, was she important to me? She seems far from a kind person, from word of mouth and from my memory of her, but a part of me feels like it's longing to meet her. I gulp as I stand in front of the door, rubbing at my forehead with a hand, the phantom feeling of me bashing it against that mans skull flashes in my mind. I really hope that man was okay, whoever it may be. I take in a deep breath and reach for the door handle, tentatively pushing it open

The door opens with a squeak, the rapid beating of my heart only intensifying as I step into the room, the light orb zipping past my shoulder and continuing to guide my way as I shut the door behind me with a click. Bookshelves line the walls, scrolls and work books tossed and strewn across the wooden floor, my claws clicking against it as I limp through it all. I can _feel _my heartbeat in my ears as I approach the desk, the golden orb taking its place on my shoulder as I look around, hesitantly taking a seat. It feels weird to be here, taking a seat in a relatively normal looking office with what I've been through today, it feels _off_. I bite at the inside of my cheek as the room seems to shift around, always changing at the edge of my vision. I gulp as a seat appears on the opposite side of the desk. An unfamiliar lady appears in front of me as my heart sinks, clad in a pure black robe that loosely hangs on her body, a dull looking gold trim lines the cuffs and collar of it. She rests her chin on top of her hands with a blank expression on her face, her light brown hair's done up in a long ponytail, her skin marred with ink plots and other grime on her unkempt face. She looks like the studious type of person, I can imagine her small nose buried deep into a book as she scribbles away at her notes for whatever reason.

"Don't look so disappointed." Her blank sounding voice matches her equally blank expression, bringing me out of my thoughts. I grin shyly and rub at the back of my neck, though I don't respond to her verbally. I really thought it was gonna be _her _here, or maybe a part of me hoped for it? I'm not sure.

"I'm sure you've plenty of questions about this place, don't you?" She asks this time, her voice as blank as before, lifeless blue eyes staring into mine. I slowly nod, tapping my fingers against my thighs. Something seems off about this lady, I've seen some expressionless people before, but she takes this to a different level. It's off putting to say the least.

"You ought to get comfortable then, this is going to be a long night."

**Authors note: This chapter may have some details re-edited some time later for clarity reasons, this shit is long as hell and I'm a little bit tired at the time of writing this. If a reader sees an issue within this chapter, do send a pm if you've the time to, it'd help. **


	41. Chapter 41

The rooms atmosphere feels stiff as the light from the little orb flickers, hanging above my shoulder motionlessly, fingertips tapping at my thighs restlessly before clasping them together. Something about this room is.. unsettling with its almost palpable uncomfortable tension, I almost prefer being chased by a monster over the stifling feel of the room, it feels as if my throat's clogging with the dust that coats the room. That's not entirely true, I don't want to do any more running, the mere thought of that mess forces my heart to feel as if it's gonna beat out of my chest.

"Typically when one requires answers, said inquisitor ought to voice it aloud the one who has the potential answer rather than keep it hidden, would that not be correct?" The strange ladys voice cuts through the silence like a knife, pulling me from my thoughts as she stares into me with those deadened eyes, there's not even a flicker of life behind those glazed over eyes. I cough into a hand to clear my throat as my lips curl up into an awkward smile, the nervous edge dulling as my little friend nudges into my side with a soft chiming hum.

"Well, yeah, I'm just trying to process all of _this _into questions that I can actually ask, ya know?." I rebut with a soft voice and a shrug, struggling to maintain eye contact with the impassive lady. I gulp down the spittle in my mouth as she continues to stare at me with unblinking eyes, a stiff few seconds passing before she nods curtly. Have I met this girl before? The overly flowery way she speaks seems familiar.

"I see, I forgot that one such as you would be… I believe the correct word would be 'overwhelmed' by a place like this. I'd also like to believe that you'd not squander such time, the clocks always ticking after all." She continues on with a dead cold voice, almost as if she's detached with the world as it is, her hands clasped over one another as she rests it on the wooden desk. I hum and bite the inside of my cheek, thoughts stirring in my mind as the familiar feeling of glass presses against my shoulder. Something about this lady is all sorts of off, she feels like a frigid body vacant of human expression. Perhaps that's a bit too far to assume, but she gives off that vibe, I guess that's something I could be asking her, there's other things I'm more concerned about for now.

"Well, seeing as you brought it up, what is this place to begin with? There's no way that any of this place is real, right? It's all, like, a distorted mash up of shit I've seen before, some I can faintly recall and some that I can't fucking remember for the life of me, whats up with the fucked up _everything_?" I finally splurge out to the mysterious lady after a few moments of thought, wriggling in my seat as I take in deep breaths, attempting to soothe the beating in my chest. Something about even mentioning the darker sides of this place, from the corruption to the monsters that seem to roam and consume even the zones of it. What's to say that _it _can't come back? What can I even fight like this? How long will it take until that all consuming void returns to eat the rest of this place, to eat _me_? This church might be a place of worship to some, but this is a fucking _nightmare_, there isn't any time to worship her-

"Mister Zeke, I implore you that you regain your senses and pay proper attention, I can't quite answer a question when your mind roam away from the topic at hand." The cold cut of the ladys voice yanks me from my thoughts once more, shaking my head and looking up to the elder woman. A sniffle escapes from my lips, surprise bursting in my chest as I raise a hand to wipe away at my eyes, when did I start to cry? Why would I cry to begin with? Why, why does my heart seem to be trying to beat out of my chest? The gentle chiming of my friend, _the _friend in this place echoes in my ears as it presses against my cheek before zipping under my hands. I curl my fingers around its glass body as I take in a deep shuddering breath, welcoming in the warmth as best I can. Ahah, I guess I got too caught up in my mind again. Pay attention Zeke, control yourself.

"Please forgive me, Miss, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a bit on my mind. Do you mind repeating yourself?" I respond to her in a polite voice as I shuffle in my seat again, the sound of blood rushing in my ears dying slowly dying down along with the beating of my heart. She continues to stare blankly, her robes not even shifting as she breathes. She _is _breathing, right? Maybe it's merely a trick of the light that I can't seem to notice it, or from the weary feeling that clouds my mind, but her robes remain as stock still as the look that's plastered on her face.

"I see, although your current lack of control over your emotions is simple enough to grasp, you'd be best to subdue such a thing as effectively as possible, don't you think?" She asks me that, but I don't think that's anything beyond a rhetorical question in that wooden and emotionless voice, it doesn't even sound as chiding as I expected from someone as frosty as her. I bite down any questioning remarks that stir in my chest and give her a stiff nod, rolling the golden orb between each hand for comfort, surely this lady isn't as emotionless as she seems, right? Here I thought that Edward could mask his emotions well.

"You've my thanks for that at least, Mister Zeke. Put simply, this place is merely a fabrication of your own mind created with memories of your past, subconscious or otherwise. I'm more than confident that you'd have seen such things to rouse the sense of 'deja vu', I believe it's called." She continues to explain, my head nodding along with her as she speaks.

"Yeah, everything I've seen here seems so familiar, but why does everything seem so decayed, so broken? That isn't how it looked when I first saw it, right? Is that just how my _head _sees it?"

"A correct enough answer to surmise from what you know, though there's far more nuance from merely how one like you sees such things. The "corruption", as you put it, is simply the degeneration of memories long since lost due to your… introduction to the world, the fact that you've managed to scavenge such memories in the first place is intriguing as is." Something about the way she speaks sets off alarms in my head, I know this lady, don't I? She seems almost as scholaristic as Lucy does, just far more emotionally detached.

"Ah, right. So I guess you know about the whole death deal, then?"

"Of course, any being in here with an ounce of artificial sentience ought to know such things you do, though there could be some exceptions to that rule that we may be unaware of."

"_Mock _sentience? What do you mean by that?"

"This place is a dream, nothing more and nothing less, any persons in this place are merely products formed by your mind itself. You already know this, although you mightn't wish to admit it to yourself." I purse my lips together and continue to rub at the orb, its dull chiming ringing throughout the room. I don't know if that really says much beyond confirming what I suspected, but I knew that this was a dream, right? At least, I thought so, how would this chick know more about me than myself? I guess that's not too much of a stretch to think that, I remember Adrian digging further into my memory than I can actually recall, but still...

"So what about you, then? Who are you, who's the little orb here?" I push on and gently raise a hand up, displaying said little orb to the stoic lady. She looks with an impassive gaze over the orb as it chimes once more, floating above my hand ever so slightly.

"I'm no one, I'm not a true living thing, nothing more than the fragmented memories of a person whose long since past in the memories that lay dormant within your mind. As for the orb of light that's following you, I'm afraid I can not say, whatever lies beneath its glass casing is beyond my own ken. As intriguing as it is, I'd lack the time to formally study such a thing extensively. The clock is always ticking, even as you sleep." She answers with that formal and stiff tone that I've slowly become accustomed with, though her unblinking and unnerving stare still sends shivers up my spine as I try to keep eye contact with her. Her ice cold blue eyes still seem familiar despite her words, if she's someone I've truly forgotten, why would I remember her at all? Her scholastic visage and way of speaking scratches at my mind even as I bring my hand back to myself, rubbing softly at the glass once more, at least the pain in my arm and legs feels as if it's been properly numbed, at least for now.

"I, eh, I guess I shouldn't have expected a fulfilling answer, just more questions to add on to the pile. But I know that I know you, at least a little bit! Do you have a name, are you like Adrian? Can I bring either of you out of this place? And what do you mean by 'the clock is always ticking'?" Something sparks in my chest as I speak of Adrian, where is he anyways? This lady would know where he'd be, right?

"The chances of you bringing either of us out of this place is nil, although such an idea would be considered admirable from what I recall. This place is naught but a dream after all, somehow bringing something created from the depths of your mind is what would be considered impossible. 'Adrian', as you've taken to calling him, wasn't created from a dream, but from your mind itself. If my name is not something that you can recollect, then it's not something I can bring to light either, I'm merely fragments scattered and hastily brought together to form this body amidst your dream Your slumber will end, soon you awake into the real world once more, and this place will fade away into the depths of your mind. Odds are that you'll forget about it, it's just a dream after all." I huff and furrow my brows as she continues to respond, the orbs chiming doing little to dull the feelings stirring in my chest.

"If this dream is just in my mind, what's stopping me from trying to remember you two both in and out of sleep? Surely that should account for something, right? I don't want to forget things, I'm trying to _remember _dammit."

"Everyone forgets things, it's simply how life works, whether it be important or not. Needless to say, we're likely not very important to your mind, and trying to force yourself to remember would do you more harm than good."

"Why shouldn't I? If I remember you at all, then you probably mean something, right? I know your voice, I might not remember your face, but I _know _we've spoken at least once dammit!"

"You may attempt such a thing, then, I'm not exactly in the position to attempt to stop you. It'd be an experiment of your minds tenacity if nothing else." Something about her way of speaking is setting off alarms in my skull the more she talks, the more her spiritless sounding voice rackets around in my brain. I purse my lips as a faint memory passes, it's a very early memory, but it's one that I can remember!

"The dream journal, you're from that, aren't you? I remember pulling that little thing out from the same cabinet that I used as an entry way into this place to begin with! I think you were talking about me being a subject for... something I think?" I know she's from there, I know it, why can't I remember dammit? Surely it wasn't that long ago, right? It's not that hard to remember that, right Zeke? The beginnings of a growl rumbles in my chest as the orb of light chimes in my hand once again, its light flaring out from the gaps in my fingers as I grip at it, wincing and rubbing at the pulse of pain in my skull.

"Perhaps I am, perhaps I wasn't, I'm afraid I don't have the answer for you." I huff again and grimace, a flare of a heated anger burning in my chest as I lower my hand from my skull, drumming my fingers against my thigh while I soften my grip on the glass ball. I rub my thumb against its body and take in slow breaths, there's not need to use such a fragile looking thing as a stress ball, fucking control yourself god dammit.

"Why is it that questions that you answer only seem to bring more questions? I thought you were meant to be good at that?" I'm meant to be getting answers dammit, that's the purpose of _asking fucking questions_, not to have more fucking questions pop up from those answers with seemingly the sole purpose of fucking with me dammit!

"Perhaps the answers to your questions are simply ones that breeds more questions due to its own nature, dreams can be as abstract as the dreamer themselves wishes it to be. While I can attempt to understand your frustrations to the best of my abilities, I believe we've already spoken about you controlling your emotions, Mister Zeke. Please seat yourself so we can continue once more" I blink rapidly as a loud chiming forces my focus to return to me, the feeling of strain on my legs bringing my focus back as I look down to myself, the palms of my hands pressing against the cold wood while the orb of light buzzes around me. My chest heaves with heavy and heated breaths as my eyes meet with the enigmatic lady, her eyes as impassive and cold as always as I plant myself back on to the seat, an almost embarrassed and numb feeling travelling from my chest to my head.

"..sorry Miss. I'm just, confused and angry I guess, it's been a long night, but I shouldn't be getting angry at you because of it." I apologise to her with a sour taste on my lips, looking away from the ladys stare, a sad pang reverberating in my chest as the orb of light nudges at my cheek again with a soft chime.

"Such a borderline violent outburst isn't surprising from you given your history, though your apology is accepted, albeit needless. You can do no harm to me after all, though I don't believe the same can be extended to your glass associate. Perhaps it would be better to divert our attention to other topics and questions instead, just for you." I tilt my head as she speaks, the way she does so doesn't _seem _to make me think that she's _boasting_ in the slightest, nor does she sound like she's trying to demean me either. It just sounds like someone that's trying to state a simple truth in a flat, almost _bored _sounding tone too. She's right though, it might be better to drop the topic, at least for now.

"What do you mean by that? Can you stop me from, you know, freaking out and doing _things_?" I ask her with a soft tone and a wince, the flash of _quite _a few memories pushing their way through my mind. Lord knows I'd need some help with controlling _that_. A soft and welcoming warmth brings me out of those brooding thoughts as it washes over me, the pulsating glow of my little friend is a thankful respite from those memories, I don't think I can exactly handle those at the moment if I'm gonna be honest. The edges of my lips curl upwards as I glance over them for a brief moment, gently nudging against them myself with my cheek. Thanks, little buddy, I wish I could thank you _more_ though.

"While I don't believe it to be possible to stop your bouts of mania and lapse of judgement myself, when I say you can do no harm to me, I mean it physically. Perhaps a physical demonstration is in order to prove such a claim, though. Reach out and touch me, Mister Zeke, there will be no harm to yourself, if you're to be distrustful of such a demand." She reaches out to me with an arm, her pink and pale coloured hand looks dry in the light, her fingers curled slightly in an outstretched, almost beckoning gesture. Her pale blue eyes don't even reflect the light that permeates the room, looking between her gaze and the outstretched hand. I can't say I expected someone as bookish as her to be so lax with physical contact, but she clearly has a reason for that if she's so bold to sound so truthful in her claim. I inch myself closer to the lady, leaning over and maintaining eye contact with her as I close the gap, reaching out with a hand as the other grips at my thigh. My fingers twitch and curl as I lower my hand towards her, a foggy feeling pressing on my mind.

What if she's wrong, though? What if I do get a hold of her when my mood sours and degrades to the point of violence once more? My recent interactions with people who're sentient haven't exactly been the friendliest, she could be wrong about being safe from what I can do, what I've _done. _I've managed to tear myself from my body to use fucking magic in this place god dammit, clearly whatever's happening here isn't normal, what if I see _her scattered remains of bone and grey meat smattered across the walls? Can I stomach that sight again? What if I turn on to my little friend, the only reason I've been able to stand in this place to begin wi-_

"Mister Zeke." Her cold and droning voice shakes me from my thoughts, jolting away and staring at her through widened eyes, sharp and shuddering gasps for air running through my lungs while I hold my hand to my chest. I grit my teeth and retreat into the seat, sweat beading on my forehead as the light orb nudges against me again.

"Why are you afraid?" She questions me simply and flatly, her stare still firmly glued to my eyes, I can still see her look through me out of the corner of my eyes as I look away. I'm, am I scared? I think I am, no, I'm sure I am actually. This feeling of blood rushing through my veins, there's little mistaking that.

"I don't want to hurt you, I don't even want to _think _of hurting you, but I do anyway. I don't, I don't like to _hurt _people god dammit, I like to fight, I don't know if that's a me thing or a basitin thing, but sparring with Edward is fun, But _hurting _people? _Killing _people? By the gods, how the fuck can I stomach myself even _thinking _about that here, how the fuck can I try to manage that when I get out of here? Would everyone hate me, what about Mabel? Does she know what I've done?" All of those thoughts that I've shoved down since I've pushed myself into this place erupts back into existence as I bring my knees to my chest, hissing out those words through my gritted teeth, my heart sinking as the alerted and worried chiming from the orb of light fills my ears, why does it care for me, why did it save me in the first place? Why does it care? It shouldn't, I don't deserve it dammit. A sniffle escapes my throat before I smother my face into my arm, my body twitching every so often as the thundering beating of my heart starts to die down. When did it even start to rise to begin with? Why'd I suddenly shit myself like that, I don't normally do that, right? I rest my chin on my arms as I look up to the mysterious lady again, her gaze still pinned onto me. Unwavering, unblinking, permanently staring gaze, she doesn't seem in the slight bit affected by it all, how does she do that? I know that nothing in this place is meant to be _normal _by any means, but still, some semblance of normality would at least kind of help me feel better, something that isn't like _this_ anyways. But, isn't that a bit greedy or self centered for me to think that? Shouldn't I be over this already?

"Mister Zeke, you have my assurance that I am perfectly safe from whatever harm you may possibly inflict, though I won't attempt to force you to grasp at my hand. Our time may be limited, but we shall move at your pace, just for you." Again with that plain tone from her, free from judgement and any emotion that I can perceive, her steady hand still outstretched and beckoning. I rub at my face and wipe away the building waterworks that form on the edges of my vision, a throaty sniffling forcing its way out as I reach for her hand. I bite at the inside of my cheek as our hands come closer, what feels like a mixture of bile and nerves dancing in my stomach as my hand glides just above her skin. I want to pull away, every fibre of my being screams at me to do so, her cold yet previously affirming words seems like a poor form of protection in place of actual self defence, is she absolutely sure?

The lady says nothing, the only audible sound that echoes in the room being the soft thrumming from the small friend that hovers around me, filling my chest with what feels like a gentle urging to go on. I swallow my feelings as best as I can and take a grab at her free hand. My hand passes through hers, feeling as it's touching dust passing by on the wind, blinking and processing the moment. I bring my shaky hand up to her hand once more, pressing down and through her slowly, watching as her limb ebbs and flows around mine before reconstructing itself. A hollow feeling laughter bubbles in my chest as I pull away from her, rubbing a hand against my face as I chuckle aloud. Hah, ahahah, she's a fucking _ghost_. No wonder she wasn't scared of me, I can't physically touch her to begin with. She's safe, safe from _me_.

"Well, don't I feel fucking stupid, huh?" I rhetorically ask aloud, running my hand up and through my stringy feeling hair, paying little attention to the buzzing of the orb that hovers around me. The mysterious lady soundlessly brings her hand back and places it atop the other, looking as prim and proper as before.

"Whilst you might've had some interactions with non physical beings in your time within your mind, it would be unfair to call you a dolt due to your inexperience with such things, despite your immediate feelings on the matter. Do you wish to talk about it?" I can't help but raise an eyebrow as I look to her, shuffling myself into a more upright seating position.

"What? What is there to talk about to begin with? I was just worried about hurting you is all, nothing more, I just don't like _maiming _people dammit. Real or otherwise, it just feels wrong, and I'll deal with the consequences of it myself when it arises." An uncomfortable feeling brews in my chest as she continues to stare through me, my ears flattening against my neck as the orbs dull chiming fill my ears. Was it something I said?

"I personally believed that it'd be rather obvious that the incident between the three keidran prior to coming here would've affected your mental state negatively, but clearly you think otherwise. Why is that?" She leans forward as she continues to question me, her chilly blue eyes suddenly seem to glow in the light, pursing my lips together as I furrow my brow. The fuck is this? Some sort of mix between an interrogation and faux therapy session? What's her angle?

"Here I thought I was meant to be asking questions, not the other way around, why the change?" I retort with a hot huff, squinting as I stare into the ladys eyes. She doesn't twitch an inch, not even a blink.

"The pursuit of knowledge for oneself and other related topics can easily be stifled by a brooding mind, if you don't wish to answer the question, then I won't push you for it." She answers with a level headed coldness, looking away from her stare as I shuffle in my seat. Bah, can't match her staring like that, no point.

"Why does it matter? I made a big old fuck up to begin with, and I'll reap what I sow dammit, the deals been done. Whatever hatred I may receive from my friends and family is one I'll take on the chin."

"While I may not be fully capable of comprehending those around you, why is it that you feel as if you deserve their hatred? Why do you believe that they'll react to you with the scorn you hold for yourself?" I can already see this conversation going to shit, god I don't want to talk about this. I hum and tap my fingers against my leg, the warmth from the orb nestling into my neck helps with soothing my nerves. Well shit, I guess this is some sort of fucky therapy session then, I _guess _I'll roll with it so long as it gets me closer to getting Adrian and I out of here.

"Why wouldn't they? It's not as if that entire scene would've been pleasant to the eye for anyone there." A shiver runs up my spine as I feel a grimace force its way on my face, especially Mabel. Gods, how the fuck can I even face her?

"While the possibility that they may hold contempt for your actions may exist, you can't quite predict how they'd react to such a thing just yet, only time will tell. It seems that 'scene' as you call it wasn't quite pleasant for you either, Mister Zeke."

"Really? I didn't notice the vomit before passing out, nor did I notice the self loathing for the shitfest of a fight ever since then, thank you for bringing it to light! No, really, I almost forgot about it for a second."

"Sarcasm as a self defence mechanism to alleviate mental stress is not too uncommon, it's one that you resort too often enough to lighten the emotional mood on yourself, though it's a far cry from actually accepting help. It would be wise for us to primarily focus on you first, such loathing is unhea-"

"Yes, fuck, I get it already. Can we please change the top-"

"Why?" I blink as she cuts me off, recoiling slightly from shock as her glare seems to intensify, the cold blue of her iris seems to glow in the residing darkness of the room. I uh, I really didn't expect her to do that. I open my mouth to rebut, my jaw hanging dumbly before I close it again, humming to myself as I look to the desk. Why do I want to change the topic? Talking about these things gets my heart beating, like being chased by that monster again, why is that?

"..I dunno, I guess I'm just scared to talk about it, I'm scared of a lot of things really, especially for others. I'm not exactly comfortable with thinking of it though, let alone talking about it, no offense to you I mean. I'd like to imagine that you're _trying _to help me, you and the little buddy here are probably the only friendly things in this place anyways, and I do trust its judgement with you. I'd rather just let it happen, it's not like I can _stop _myself from thinking about them anyways, I worry about them all a lot, and how they see me." I finally choke out an answer through my clogged throat as I sigh, slumping in my seat as a sad feeling smile wanders onto my face, the little buddy nudging into my cheek with a concerned sounding chime. Sorry, little buddy, I know _you _care for me and everything, it's probably why you pushed me out of the darkness to begin with. It's… hard to explain, I really wish I could put it into words dammit.

"Do you wish to overcome that fear, Mister Zeke? For yourself and for others?" I jolt backwards and stare at her, the feeling of confusion blossoming in my chest.

"What sort of question is that? Of course I'd like to get over it, I'd like to at least _try _dammit. What's with all these questions anyways? No offense, but I can't exactly see why you'd care."

"Contemplation is one of the first stages of wanting change for oneself, the simple wish to do better is an important wish within itself. The only reason I've been asking these questions, Mister Zeke, is because the imprint of your own thoughts left upon the memory of this person wishes it so." I purse my lips and raise an eyebrow, what? What the fuck is that meant to mean, am I just mentally slow or some shit?

"Can you uh, explain that last part to me like I'm a normal person? I'm feeling a bit slow at the moment, and every word from you sounds like it's going through a thesaurus, it doesn't help that I'm not sure if you're meaning all that in a literal or non literal way." I bite at the inside of my cheek as an awkward silence suddenly rules the room, squirming in my seat as she looks through me with a vacant expression. I uh, I hope that I didn't offend her in some way there, why's she looking at me like that? To my surprise, she finally _blinks _for once, her chest heaving as she takes in a deep breath before looking back towards me, an odd spark behind her otherwise deadened looking eyes.

"You've my apologies, Mister Zeke, I was caught in the middle of my thoughts. Simply put, I'm only here because there's a little part of you that wishes to be a better person, so much so that those thoughts have been left to me, despite your… other, more dominant mental reflections. That's why this has turned into a 'fucky therapy session', as you've once thought." An embarrassed smile makes its way on my face as I rub at the back of my neck, I can feel my face burning red as the orb of lights chimes fills the room.

"I uh, shit, when you put it like that, now I feel _really _awkward. Sorry about that." I apologize with a soft tone of voice, my hand sliding down from my neck and returning to its idly tapping against my leg. Why do I do that anyways? I guess it kills the excess energy that jolts around inside me, it helps me keep steady in some way.

"It's quite alright, Mister Zeke, your… less than flowery vocabulary is far from a surprise after all. If there's one thing to take from myself if we were to drop the topic at that point, it would be to withhold judgement that you predict your friends to have until you personally speak to them. Do you regret having to murder them?" That question sounds so cold and callous coming from her, wincing slightly as I rub a hand up my arm, partially to soothe the immediate feeling of surprise. Jesus, really fucking call me out that hard there huh? I guess you're not one to mince words, lady.

"Well, yeah, obviously. Despite how _good _it felt at the time, all I can feel is disgust from it all, also worry, a whole lot of fucking worry, but you already know that."

"If you were to be in that same situation, would you let them have their way with you? Beings who'd resort to depraved actions such as consuming the corpse of another seems far from a compassionate person, at least in this case. Would you let them kill you, and leave your friends to find your corpse?"

"What? Fuck no, I might be a craven bastard sometimes, but if that was a fight to the death then I had to live. I wish it didn't have to end like that, and if I wasn't so _fucking weak _I'd have done it myself instead of lapsing into anger again, glorifying pain and violence like that is, its abhorrant! Death should be swift, there shouldn't be pain, but that's the only thing I'd change." A strange mixture of deja vu and determination brews in my chest as I stare at the mysterious lady, something about this conversation seems so fucking familiar, just bordering on the edge of realisation.

"...I've already had this conversation before, haven't I? Not with you, but with myself, before I came into here." I squint and stare at the lady as I lean forward, resting my chin in the palm of my hand as my elbow digs into the wooden table. Now I know that there's something fucking fishy about all this. Predictably enough, the lady remains motionless, her dead blue eyes giving nothing away.

"That you have, Mister Zeke, you've had a conversation very similar to this with yourself, I'm quite surprised that you remembered it to be truthful."

"Then why rehash the same thing? What does it do beyond using up my time?"

"Because Mister Zeke, you're quite a frightened person, especially when you need to face yourself." I blink and slump in my chair, furrowing my brow as I stare into the wood. I can't face myself? What does she mean by tha-

_A thick shadow wraps around the things neck like a blanket, falling around itself with a hefty and fleshy sounding 'whap', the hood that rests upon its head covering all but its monstrous and ever growing grin. My hands tremble as it edges closer, the slither of darkness creeping at the edge of my vision, its teeth encompassing my view. Oh god please don't do this to me, I don't want to die here, I don't wanT TO BE EATEN._

Fear grips my chest as a cold jolt runs itself up my spine, gritting my teeth as I clutch at my head, a cold flash running through my body as I gasp for air, the shrill chiming of the light orb mixing with the sound of blood rushing in my ears. My fingers dig into my scalp for a few moments longer before I feel the sweet numbing release, the pulsating in my skull dying down along with the beating of my heart. I swallow my spit and hold my head in my hands as I look up to the lady, blinking away the blur in my vision as best I can.

"Judging from your reaction and visage, I believe you've found the answer to your question?" She asks cooly, pursing my lips together as I give her a weak nod. Yeah, I think I do, and I dunno if I can actually ask another question like that, not even to myself.

"I gather that you don't wish to try to face yourself like that again within this current dream, correct?" I nod dumbly, the feeling of shame weighing on my limbs as I force myself into a seating position, reaching up and rubbing a shaky thumb over the floating orb, a whining chime being its immediate reply.

"Does that make me a coward, Miss?" I ask her with a croaky voice, a grimace forming on my face. Being unable to face myself, that's a cowardly act, right?

"Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't, that's for yourself to decide. It isn't required that you face yourself just yet, it'd be quite unwise after all given your mental state. Think of it as a desire beyond anything else, a thing to strive towards for self betterment." I mumble to myself as I let go of the orb, rubbing my fingers against my temple. I, I guess that's a smarter idea? It'd be better than trying to force myself to do it and failing immediately, and setting goals would help more than blundering in blindly. I give the lady a nod, she _is _right about this, and she's only done me well so far...

"I believe that's all the time we have currently, time ticks on, and you'd like to be gathering your… crude sounding doppelganger before you leave this place." I raise an eyebrow as she makes a gesture with her dainty looking hand, twisting my neck and turning behind me. The edges of the door that leads out of the room glows at the edges with a bright light, tendrils of white seeping from the bottom of the door. Thats, uh, definitely not what I'm used to seeing around here, but I'll take it at face value.

The legs of the chair screeches against the wooden floor as I push myself up, wobbling on unsteady legs before making my way over to it. I grit my teeth as my leg flares up in pain again, my attempt at a stride turning into a slow limp. Ahah, of course I'd fucking forget about that, I sure hope that doesn't carry over into the real world. I stand in front of the exit, a frown forcing its way, twisting my head to look over the lady.

"...Little buddy? Aren't you coming with me?" I ask the floating orb, tilting my head as my frown deepens. It chimes sadly, hovering around the strange ladys shoulders, looking as impassive as always.

"While your 'little buddy' might be of a different caliber than myself, we are naught but figures of your imagination within your mind, we can not pass through where you wish to tread. I believe I can speak for the both of us to wish you a fortuitous end to your dream, though." Her voice echoes throughout the room as she holds a hand up, waving stiffly with an unblinking stare, the orb of light letting out a saddened chiming alongside her gesture. It feels… strange, to be without that little orb, as if I'm leaving an old friend. It kind of hurts to stay away from them. I press a hand against the handle, jiggling and twisting it lightly, son of a bitch, it almost hurts to leave. I don't want to forget them, and I don't want them to _feel _forgotten, doesn't matter that this is some sort of fucked up dream. A sad smile pushes its way on my face as I twist my neck around.

"Hey, I'll remember you two, nameless or otherwise!" I call out to them with a determined nod, shifting my stare between the two of them. The orbs gleeful chiming fills the air as she laps around the ladys head, her mouth agape for a moment before closing, her only response being a solemn nod in return. I flash them a grin before pushing my way through the door, the cold light surrounds and encompasses me in a flash.

….

The sound of my claws clicking against the floor fills the void, an ever widening abyss that seems to lead to nowhere surrounds me on all sides. Despite that, there's some sort of tugging at my heart that seems to lead me onwards, the pain in my leg numbed enough to step through the darkness comfortably enough. I look down and over my clothes, flexing and curling my hand, the leather glove repaired to its original state, before I fell in here. I wince as the phantom pains of the monstrous gnawing clutches at it, a shiver sliding up my spine as I try to shake it away. Come on Adrian, I know you're here, where the fuck are you, you goddamn leach.

The tugging in my chest thrums with a strengthened force, a smile appearing on my lips before I fully realise it. Closer, ever closer, if I put you in here I'll get you out of here. It takes a while longer of seemingly aimless walking, diverting off of the straight path as the strings in my chest tugs me along, squinting my eyes slightly to peer into the distance. My walk turns into a job, then a sprint as I make my way over to the figure, stopping in place as his form comes into view.

I remain silent as I approach the still man, his standing body slouched and arms limp beside him. I sigh to myself as I stand in front of him, a guilty feeling stirring in my chest. I did this to him, not intentionally, but I did anyway, I can't imagine that this place was nice to him in the slightest. How can I wake him anyways? Should I yell at him, could I touch him? I could touch the orb of light when it was, well, _possessing _me, maybe it's the same deal here? I guess there's no harm in trying.

I reach out and cup at his cheek, brushing my thumb against it, it feels strange to see an exact duplicate of myself in this way, and it's weirder to _feel _myself touching him, I can feel the hair on _my _cheek shift alongside it. That's fucking trippy, please wake up Adrian. A small groan comes from him, hope igniting in my chest as he stirs, pulling away from him as he lifts his head, half lidded eyes looking to me and around in the abyss.

"... What the fuck did you get us into?" I can't help but snicker as he sneers, the duplicate visibly shivering as he rubs at his face, eyelids flickering to show off his blue eyes, cloudy and half lidded, and utterly confused.

"You can go through my memories later, it's a bit of a long story, and I wanna get you out of here." I reply with a smile, wincing slightly as he stumbles over his two feet, a loud and guttural groan coming from his throat as he clutches at his head.

""Jesus fucking Christ, it feels like I've had someone beat my skull in with a baseball bat, felt like I've been stuck i-"

"In almost purgatory? Yeah, I've been there, it's not exactly the funnest place. Let me help you walk before you trip over yourself." I cut off the mumbling and irritated sounding man as I loop his arm over my shoulders, keeping a firm hold of it as my spare hand holds at his waist, lugging him away from this place.

"...How the fuck can you touch me?" He whines with an indignant tone, a heated huff coming from him as I snicker.

"Long story, this place makes fuck all sense, don't question it too much. Just let me get you outta here, something tells me that we're at the end of this dream, are you gonna be okay?" I look over him with a worried eye, my ear twitching as he mumbles something, rubbing at his face once again.

"Yeah, head hurts like a mother fucker, but that's normal when I'm stuck with your dumb ass." A sigh escapes my lips as they curl upwards, looking up to focus on the trek. It's nice to see that this bastard's snark's still in place, I'd be more concerned if he was being nice. We pass through the void in silence with naught but the clicking of our claws, the man feels oddly light on my shoulders too, then again, he doesn't exactly have a physical body. I squint as a bright light suddenly flares in front of the both of us, eyes burning before it dissipates, a pure white door frame, I sure hope that leads to the end of this nightmare.

"Should I question it?"

"It'd only make more questions, don't worry about it too much." The exchange between us ends with a shrug from myself and an aggravated sigh from the disgruntled man, the warmth from the light radiates with a welcoming feeling, feeling like a warm blanket at the end of a cold night. The warmth and light encompasses us both as I drag us through it, squeezing my eyes shut as my vision fills with white.

**Authors note, 23/09/2020**

**Next update may be a bit slower than usual due to family reasons, chapter 42 will very likely be done before the end of the month at least. **


	42. Chapter 42

The rush of cool air filling my lungs is the first thing that I feel as my mind stirs, a light weight pressing on my chest, what feels like a drunken fog suppressing my other senses as I instinctively curl my hands around a warm mound of fur. My eyelids flutter as I weakly try to force them open, remaining shut despite my efforts, letting out an exhausted sounding sigh as I let my head fall back, thudding against wood. I assume it's the wood of the wagon that I'm smacking my head against, the warm fur that I ruffle with my hands is Mabel, there's no doubt about that. Why do I feel so weak, so enfeebled? Is that a side effect from the nightmare, or just from straining my body in that fight? I don't feel pain at least, just an overwhelmingly lethargic feeling, forcing my legs to twitch as best as they can despite the sluggish feeling certainly doesn't ignite any discomfort at least, the pain I once felt in that nightmare ended with the dream itself it seems. Thank fucking lord that doesn't carry over into the real world, I'd be pretty pissed if it did.

Hey Adrian, you there? I hope you are, how are you feeling? Any abnormalities or issues at all? That dream was a bit of a fucking nightmare to run through.

**Ah shut the fuck up you swine, I feel like my heads been fucked with a jackhammer while being torched at the same fucking time, I'd wish this pain on you if I wouldn't have to feel it myself on the rebound because being your conscious mind blows ass. It's actually such fucking bullshit, why the fuck you can't feel what I feel is beyond me and it only pisses me off, son of a mother fucking bi-**

My lips curl up into a smile as I let out a soft sigh, tuning out the rest of Adrians monologue as best I can. Can't believe I missed this foul mouthed parasite, at least my head doesn't feel as lonely as before, and he's close enough to a friend to _want _to keep him in there. Then again, I don't have very good tastes in friends, do I? Other than Mabel, but she's not exactly a friend to her I'd imagine, just.. Ich, just her master, I feel my mouth sour even thinking about that, it still rubs me the wrong way. I wonder if there's a better word to try to use there. I feel my throat clog up as a mental image of Mabels sweet little smile invades my mind, clutching at the warm fur that fills my hands. Fuck, speaking of the girl, I knew that this would eventually have to come up, but there's still that feeling of guilt and worry that gnaws at my chest, what does she know? She should know what happened, chances are that Edward dragged me in here to begin with, does she _actually _care about it? Why else would she still be trying to use me as a fucking bed? She's a kid, just a kid, she probably doesn't know the extent of what I've done.

**Hey waste of skin, your constant thoughts is kind of pissing me off, I haven't even had time to go through your memories yet, what's got your knickers in a twist?**

Sorry, I'm just thinking. I don't know if I should be thinking too much, thinking just makes me feel like shit garbage, at least if it's garbage drivel that's coming from you it doesn't feel as bad. Dunno why, but I'm not gonna question it. Do you remember the fight?

**The one with the trio of savages, right? What about it? It was a fight, they lost, we won. Simple as that, just wish you didn't throw me into the depths of your icky fucking mind though.**

You really don't see an issue with _how _it turned out? None at all?

**Other than the banishment, I don't really care about how they were dealt with in the end. They're dead and we're alive, it's how fights like that go after all. I can't exactly say that the joy and despair that's coming from your heart because of it is something I'm gonna take into account, I don't give too much of a shit about ya beyond keeping us alive and preferably out of **_**physical **_**pain. **

I guess so, but I still feel ill over it, ich. Can't say I'm particularly excited over getting up to figuratively face the music, but I know I have to eventually.

**You'll get over it eventually, waste of skin, you're only gonna be hearing clown music at this rate you little bastard . When are you gonna get off your ass anyways? I'm sure that your 'friends' are gonna have a bunch of questions over what happened.**

I'm not sure, I think I'm a little apprehensive over opening my eyes, saying that I feel nervous would be an understatement. I'll know what they think when I get to them, but Mabels the one I'm concerned with the most.

**Aw, are you can't even face the **_**slave child **_**that you've bought because of a fucking fight, isn't that just absolutely wonderously **_**pathetic**_**, and it's in character for you to boot! It's just a keidran, and a kid on top of it too.**

Callous parasitic bastard, hurry up and bury your head in my memories like you said you would, just so I don't have to stomach your existence for a while.

**I'm what you want me to be, so whose fault is that? And that's at least something we're in agreement over, I was **_**just **_**about to dip into your brain to sort through those memories, it might take a while, so it's less time I have to spend listening to your pointless garbage. See you later, waste of skin. **

I let out another sigh as I feel his presence retreat into my mind, an uncomfortable scratching feeling pawing at the back of my skull, a cold shiver running up my spine. Alright then, see you later I guess you leeching bastard. Can't believe I _missed _this fucker, a part of me is already regretting saving his worthless ass. At least part of my mind feels somewhat at ease from fixing the mess that I've caused if nothing else.

My eyelids still feel heavy, though I force it open regardless through the caked feeling of sleep, staring up and into a cloth ceiling held up by the wooden structure, turning my sight towards the exit of the wagon, the dark of the moonlight washing into the room from between the drapes. A feeling of nervous dread builds in my chest as I bite at the inside of my cheek, come on you mother fucker, surely you can at least _look _at the girl, right? You aren't gonna do anything to her, she's fine, she's safe. My throat clenches as I look down to the slumbering girl, her face buried into my side as she curls up beside me, my comparatively oversized hand clutching at her shoulder as she purrs aloud, stuttering and shifting slightly as she shivers suddenly shivers.

I purse my lips together as I look over her curled body, she's so small, so _fragile_. She's a fucking child, her bones could be made of glass and it wouldn't change her physical fortitude, is she safe around me? It feels like my heart's threatening to burst out my chest with how explosive it's pulsating, my vision blurring as my thoughts fog over, a cold and unpleasant numbing feeling running through my veins as I stare over her limp form. Can you trust yourself to take care of her, to not break her like you did the others? I can _wrap a hand around her throat pretty easily, she's a dainty and innocent looking little thing, it'd all be so easy wouldn't it? Who could stop me if we're alone to begin with? How can I stop myself when it's so tempting? No one would be surprised if they already have me for what happened to the savages before, no one would know, and I.._

I'm…

Oh my god.

I swallow down the bile that clings to the side of my throat, the acidic tasting vomit travels down my gullet and burns in my stomach as I bring the girl closer, her soft fur pressing into mine as I try to push my way through those dark thoughts. I squeeze my eyes shut as I try to force the bubbling fury that burrows in my skin down, that red hot sadistic anger eventually subsiding after a few tense moments, the lingering remains of it turning into the smoldering ashes of a heavy guilty burden that weighs on my shoulders like a nasty sludge. What the fuck are you trying to do Zeke? You trying to be some sort of base born bastard that turns into a rabid dog when your immediate _immoral_ instincts flare up, or are you the delusional man that's trying to act like a fake fucking hero to a kid that probably has no actual idea on what's going on? At least pretend to try to fight those thoughts probably, you little bastard, or do you just not care about the girl? Knock that dumb shit out of you Zeke, you put so much pride into saying that you wanted to protect her, are you really gonna abandon that promise so easily?

The purring of the still sleeping kid quells the thundering rampage in my chest and mind, at least for now, keeping a keen eye on her still form as I curl my arm around her shoulders, enveloping her in a tentative hug. My lips curl up into a smile despite the guilt that presses into my chest, her breathing soft and steady as she snoozes away, seemingly without a care in the world. It at least _looks _like she doesn't hate me, she looks as if she's having a good night sleep for once, any comfort is better than that crate I found her in, I'd bet. All of those thoughts, that's not what I want to do, I don't want to hurt her. I'm not a monster, I did what I had to do in that fight, I made a fucking promise to protect her and I'll stick with it to the end. Whether it be the end of my journey to do _something _to get her to a safe place or the end of _me _specifically, I don't know, but I'm shit at planning anyways.

What was it that the strange lady said, something about self betterment and facing myself? Wouldn't trying to stave off those thoughts be a part of bettering myself? It's on the right tracks, right? It's not like I can exactly run from myself for very long, can I? I've been angry plenty of times, but I've never let it control me like that, I don't think I can make a promise to _anything _to stop myself from falling into that mess again, but I can damn fucking well try. A resolute feeling pulsates in my chest as I raise a hand to her head, running it through the short hair on her head, her purring turns into a gentle coo, it sounds like a delightful chiming that I welcome to echo in my skull. I'll do it, if not for myself, then for others. I can do this, I'm stubborn enough at least _try _to brute force my head through it all repeatedly anyways. Just a path towards bettering myself, I have to try to hold myself to that… Maybe I could try to set up a plan with someone else to, well, less than gently put me down if I lose myself again. Fairly sure either Edward or Lucy could put me on my ass, Edward _did _beat me in that sparring fight, and Lucys magic could probably take my head off as it is. That's assuming that they're _around _though, and with Dartwood coming up soon, Edward and I might be parting ways pretty soon after all, hm...

A mumbling brings me out of my thoughts, l blinking and regaining my focus as the girl squirms into my side, her eyelids flickering open and drooping slightly as she rests her chin on my chest. She looks up to me with half lidded eyes, the golden glow behind them looks half focused and borderline confused, her maw opening wide as she lets out a squeak of a yawn. She's so innocent, so fucking _pure _looking, the disgust that remains in my gut rears its ugly head for a brief moment as I run my hand through the strands of her hair, the rumbling of her soft and happy purring audible and flowing through the air. Fantastic, now I just feel like _more _garbage for even _thinking _of hurting her, isn't that just grand?

"Hey kid, are you doing okay?" I croak out to the drowsy girl, wincing at the pain in my throat as she mumbles under her breath again, her immediate response being a slow nodding. She continues to press her head into my hand as she does so though, the edges of my lips curling up slightly at the sight. God, this kid's just a fucking cat, how adorable.

"Mn, m'okay… Are you okay, mister?" She shoots back with a question of her own with a soft voice, my ears straining to hear her hushed tone almost blending into the quiet of the night, a growing but small frown plain on her face as she looks up to me, her golden eyes almost look as it they're glowing in the dark. I feel a guilty wince of pain brush over my face that I try to hide with a widening and forced smile, planting my hand on her head to resume the affectionate petting, her happy sounding purring returning to fill the room. The child-like look in her eyes, the _pure innocence _that's shamelessly put on display behind those brilliant coloured eyes for any to see, it's something that fills me with a type of dirty shame of my own, mixed with an odd feeling of determination alongside it. Now I just feel worse for worrying the little kid about my own shit, she shouldn't _have _to have worries dammit, she's a _child_. She might _officially _be a slave, but I'll be damned if any mother fucker treats her as anything less than an innocent soul that deserves protecting. All this does is just reinforce my thoughts about her, I'll do what I need to do to protect her, regardless of who it's from.

...What does that make me then? Some sort of wretched bastard with a fixation on a kid, or an over zealous and over protective bastard instead? Neither is exactly ideal, and I'm not gonna just _ask _the kid how she feels about me out of the blue, it doesn't exactly sound tactful to try that.

"I'm alright kid, why do you ask?" I tilt my head as I look down to her, I can feel my heart cracking as her frown deepens, an abashed look appearing on her face as she lays her chin atop my chest again, her sight looking away from me as she nudges into my side. God fucking dammit, I feel like I've kicked a god damn puppy with the way she's acting.

"...You talked a lot in your sleep, and you were super squirmy, were you having a bad dream?" She tilts her head curiously as she continues to question me, it almost looks as if she's on the verge of shrinking away from me, too. I purse my lips together as I think back to that nightmare, the beating in my chest spiking in intensity for a second before dying down. Just calling it a bad dream isn't completely accurate, but close enough I guess, I figure that she's had her fair share of nightmares herself. It wasn't too long ago that I saw her squirming in a bed, her face contorted with discomfort, right?

Man, my sense of time is fucking garbage, not even gonna mention my memory, maybe I should work on those things sometime.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said it was a fine dream. Were you close to me when I was twisting around? I didn't bother you too much or hurt you, did I?" The dustings of a smile brushes over her face as she giggles, picking up her chin to shake her head at a leisurely pace before plopping it back down, I can barely even feel her head touching me as she drops it onto my chest. She fails to stifle a yawn, I can fucking _feel my _heart melt as she lets out a high pitched squeak. Oh my fucking god, I'm gonna die from this, I can already feel it. God dammit kid.

"Nuh, is okay, what were you dreaming about mister? Your face was all.. weird and stuff." She furrows her brows and squints as she looks up to me, her lips almost look like they're contorted into a confused pouting. I feel my ears flatten against the back of my head as I hum, scratching at my chin in thought. All weird and stuff, huh?

"What do you mean by 'all weird and stuff', kid? I didn't scare you did I?" I gently ruffle her short hair with a hand as I frown, my gentle humming masked by her purring as she nudges herself into my hand. I'm fully aware that I've dodged her first question, I'm just going to hope that she won't try to bring it up again, I don't think worrying a kid further with my nightmares would be a very nice thing to do.

"Nuh! You're very, uhm, unscary? I think that's the word, you're not scary at all!" She pushes my hand away from her face as she beams brightly, a calming feeling pressing against my chest and sedating the beating of my heart. God, she looks so god damn _pure_, seemingly so uncorrupted by the evil of the world that surrounds her. How can someone like this exist here, is it because she's a kid? That can't be the sole factor, right? There has to be something else, am I just a fucking weirdo for acting like this? Why does my heart try to attach itself to her so much, does that little buddy in the nightmare have something to do with it? If so, what could that have done? Maybe I'm just a lunatic, a mad mad man in this place. Her high spirited beaming suddenly falls from her face as she frowns, my heart sinking alongside it, did something happen?

"Did I do something wrong?" She suddenly whispers with a hushed whimper, her bottom lip trembling as she finishes her question, a cloud of confusion brewing behind the golden glow of her eyes. That's not _just _confusion, kids can't exactly hide their emotions very well, she's _scared_. She's not scared of me, is she?

"Listen kid, you haven't done anything wrong, why are you worrying? Forget about me for a second, are _you _okay, Mabel?" I almost fucking feel my heart snap as she whimpers again, a sorrowful and desperate one at that, the mix of a protective need and angry disgust rears its head again in my stomach as her whimpering reaches a peak, I can feel it being on the verge of turning into sobbing. Son of a bitch, what did I do to fuck up this Time? She almost seems reluctant to answer, face turning away from me as she squirms around, I can feel her trying to _shrink _in size, trying to hide. I stifle a sniffle of my own as I pull the ball of shuddering fluff into a hug, brushing up and down her back as I him softly to the poor little girl, keeping a hand atop her head to continue the petting as I rub my hands over her back.

"It's okay, it's okay, you're fine here Mabel, you're okay." I whisper to the girl, in a tone that I hope to be soothing enough for her, keeping my voice low and even levelled. It takes a while to console the child, her borderline sobbing fit eventually dies down to a soft whimpering, until even that is stamped down into a gentle but unsteady cycle of breathing. I hold the girl in my arms for a bit longer, she almost feels like she's made fragile glass like this, anyone who could touch her with malicious intent could shatter her. Who did this to her, what fucking _monster _made her become like this dammit, I-

I need to stop, stamp out those angry thoughts Zeke, now's not the fucking time for me to lose my shit. I need to help the kid, I _have _to help her dammit. Whatever she needs, I'll give to her. I still rub at her back with a tentative touch, my ears twitching as the sound of her breathing finally levels out in its entirety, I can feel her forehead nudge against my chest lightly.

"You feeling better, kid?" I ask her as I slowly pull away, a deep frown still plastered on my face as she sniffles, the girl dragging her hands over her face to wipe away the tears that leak from it, her fur mattered and wet. I can feel my heart breaking looking at the sight, something about a kid crying is abhorrent enough to make me loathe it. Determination stirs in my chest as I reach down to pull the edge of my coat up to her face, rubbing away at the dampened parts with the softer cotton of the cloak to dry it down, the girl thankfully remaining still as I tend to her. The fur on her face seems dried enough as I drop the cloak, adjusting and fixing her untidy scarf and wrapping it around her neck, a small smile pushing itself on my face as I look over her a final time. She doesnt look too scuffed anymore, at least from what I can see, and the delightful little smile on her face speaks more than her words can. I think she's a little better, I hope anyways, I also hope that I don't seem too finicky with fussing over her looks like that, but at least she seems grateful for it. I imagine that she wasn't really tended to much during her time in, well, slavery.

"Hey kid, you don't need to talk about it if you don't want to, I'm not gonna push ya." I reassure the girl as I pat at her head briefly, sighing to myself as I lean back against the wooden wall of the wagon with a hand rubbing at my head, a soft lopsided smile on my face as she mumbles to herself, a hand rubbing up and down her arm. Don't talk if you don't want to kid, I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I forced her to anyways.

"..You're not, you know, angry? Because I called you unscary?" She asks with a quiet hesitant voice, looking up to me with a tilt of her head. I purse my lips together, a confused feeling running over my head.

"Uh, no? Why would I be?" I answer her question with a question of my own, furrowing my brow as I look down to her. Her mouth forms a small 'o' as she shuffles around, an embarrassed and confused look on her face as she continues to rub at her arm, looking down and away from me again.

"B-because, the _others _liked to be scary, why wouldn't you want to be scary?" It takes a while for her to choke that out, a timid and wavering tone of voice that clings to my mind. Her bottom lip quivers as she whimpers again, shifting around like an uncomfortable and skittish cat on the verge of running off, though she seems to glue herself in place anyways. So that's how she was treated then, huh? Forced to fear her _masters _into respect? Fucking gross, _abhorrant _human beings. How the hell should I handle this? She looks like shes on the verge of bursting out in fucking tears again, I'm not exactly cut out for emotionally soothing someone, this shits getting to me too.

I sigh to myself and smile sadly, reaching up to unlatch my cloak, wrapping it around her neck and tying it together. It looks far from a snug fit, it hangs off of her like a loose blanket with her purple scarf stuffed under it, but it's a little bit better on her than me at the moment, warmth is comfort to a kid, right? She at least looks somewhat soothed from it, along with a mixed confusion, though she presses into my hand as I brush at her cheek. I feel like I'm a bit of a creep, but it looks like it's helping her, so I'll take the internal pride hit.

"Ki- _Mabel_, if I ever start to scare you, I _want _you to tell me. I don't want to be like the others, I want to be your friend at least, you deserve better than what you've gotten before this. I know you're confused, and probably more than just a little scared, but I'll keep doing this for as long as you need me to. Is all this okay?" I talk in a soft and low tone as I continue to console her, running a hand up to rub behind her ears. She lets out a small sniffle before falling onto my chest, she doesn't speak above another bundle of mumbling, but I can at least feel her nodding. A sad smile's still on my face as I continue to pet the confused fox girl, looking up and out to the exit of the wagon, the shine of moonlight no longer spilling through the split sheets. Perhaps it's close to midnight, then? My sense of time is a little bit out of whack, and we _have _been talking for a while. I'll talk for a while longer if I need to, I can't wash away possibly _years _of torment in an instant, I'll console and look after this kid every night if I need to. I know we've had a conversation like this at least once before, but actions speak far louder than words.

I don't keep track of time as I stare into the ceiling, I feel far too energised to actually attempt to sleep at the moment to begin with, though I can feel Mabels breathing slowing and steadying, her body finally falling limp against mine. The kid's finally asleep, thank god, she deserves a good nights sleep at the very least. I look down to her and smile, gently ruffling her head once again as I slowly push her off of me, taking care to be _extremely _soft with the sleeping girl. I gently rest her head against the wooden floor, the hooded part of the cloak bundled up into a dismal looking pillow to put her head on, it looks good enough for now at least. I give her a final look over before standing upright, slinking to the exit and pulling myself out of the wagon. A shiver runs down my spine as I hit the dirt, the cold of the night wrapping itself around me like a cold blanket. Definitely a stark and unwelcome change from the meager but present warmth of the wagon, and lending my cloak away wouldn't exactly help, but I need to find Edward.

My ears twitch as the crackle of a fire fills the air, peeking past the corner of the wagon and looking over the campsite. The only visible body that I can see is an unarmoured back of a man, the fire before him roaring in its intensity for a moment before dying down once again, I can see his head and hair shuffle as he throws his head back, chugging down something from a leather flask and idling about.

I hesitate for a moment as I step away from the wagon, a feeling of uncertainty and nervousness freezing my limbs. Tsk, come on Zeke, you gotta face the music sometime soon, and he's _right _there. Bite the bullet and keep moving forward. I sigh and rub at my temples, trying to shake off the numbing feeling as best I can as I push forward, an uncomfortable silence in the air as I walk over the damp grass, the scent of ash in the air.

I silently slink my way over to the guardsman, planting my ass beside him and sitting cross legged as we both stare into the fire, I feel so fucking _awkward_. Should I speak up first? Should he? Should we speak at all? Edward isn't a very vocal man by any means, if he's not speaking now, then he probably does-

"Here," He suddenly pipes up with a soft tone, side eyeing me as he holds out the flask to me. I raise an eyebrow as the surprise eventually subsides, the man shaking the container from side to side, I can imagine the water in it sloshing about. "I think you might need it, Fuzz."

I pause for a second before shrugging, gently grasping at the flask as he hands it over to me, throwing my head back and taking a gulp. I almost fucking choke on it, but I manage to swallow the liquid down, a gentle but welcome burning sensation filling my senses as it does so, I can feel it rest at the bottom of my stomach as I pull the lid away from my lips. I cover my mouth to stifle the miniature coughing fit as I pass it over to him, a sneaky little grin on his face as he takes it away.

"That, ich, that wasn't _water_." I reply to him with a half hearted squinting glare, the corners of my mouth twitching upwards as he laughs aloud, taking a chug of the alcohol himself. The little bastard.

"As sharp as always, eh Fuzz?" I can hear the sarcasm dripping off of his tongue as he ribs me, an elbow nudging into my side as I roll my eyes. The alcohol wasn't exactly unwelcoming, just surprising is all. The small talk dies down as we stare into the fire, my hands resting in my laps as I sigh. Shit, how do I even start the conversation? He doesn't seem too emotionally detached from me, maybe I did just _overthink _his reaction to what I've done, at least somewhat. I purse my lips as I rub at the back of my neck, looking up into the star filled sky, as clear as gorgeous as any other night, not a cloud in the sky.

"That was the first time you had to take a life, wasn't it? At least in your more recent memory." His voice brings me back down to earth, flinching and rubbing at my arm as I mull over myself. I take a glance at him, he doesn't _look _judgemental, he looks more… sad than anything, sympathetic and pitying.

"Yeah, it's, eh. It's an adventure to process it all, I guess." I say with a shrug, looking away from the man and into the woods. My ears twitch as he chuckles, a mirthless one at that, and I can imagine the sad smile on his face.

"You're gonna feel like shit for a while, but you probably know that. The first is the hardest after all, not that it's meant to be a good thing that it gets easier, ah fuck, you know what I mean" He continues to ramble on, and I can hear him shuffle around beside me. I chuckle myself, a smile on my lips as I look back to him, there's an awkward expression on his face as he rubs at the back of his neck. Hah, he looks so out of place here, but the clumsy way that he's trying to console me is endearing in its own right.

"You suck dick at trying to show your softer side, but I appreciate it a bunch regardless." I give the tense man a wink and a nudge, smiling wider as he scoffs, rolling his eyes as he leans back, digging his palms into the dirt.

"You better, I'm not good with talking about feelings and shit."

"Hey I've noticed, I'm not dense enough to not realise that, but that just makes it all the more special," The small back and forth between us soothes my nerves a little, as does his soft laughter. I almost missed the sound of it.

"...Sorry, I shouldn't have let you go off yourself, I should've figured that something was gonna happen, but I did it anyways." I lean away from the man in surprise as _he _apologies, his head dipping downwards. I raise an eyebrow as I look over the man, lightly whapping at his arm with a hand. No wonder he's drinking alcohol, he's probably been stewing in guilt too.

"Don't worry about it, Eddy, you know I wouldn't have listened to you anyways. What are you gonna do, _chase _me in your heavy ass armour?" I try to make light of the conversation with some friendly mocking and a grin, and I can see a small smile on his face at least. Better than nothing, right? My smile dies down as his own does, though, his shoulders slumped over as he sighs, I bite at the inside of my cheek as I hum to myself. I shuffle myself closer to him and drag him into a one armed hug, ignoring his cry of disapproval as I do so.

"Listen, I've spent what felt like the last few hours bouncing around in my skull shitting bricks about how the lot of you, especially _you, _were gonna hate me because of what I did to them, it'd be a little bit silly if we continued to be guilt ridden idiots because we're worried about the other person. Lets just say that we both did a bit of a fuck up and let bygones be bygones to focus on the future, hows that sound? Seeing you being all down and shit is unnerving as hell by the way." I hastily splurge myself out **, **giving the man a soft smile as he twists his head to me. It takes a while for him to reply, at least verbally, his head shaking as he smiles.

"Pfah, I'm just glad you're okay, _please _stop being so reckless at least." He finally says with a sigh, pushing my arm off of him with a faux glare. I smile wide and nudge at him with an elbow, our combined laughter echoing into the night. A smile stains my lips as a comfortable silence fills the air instead, along with the welcoming crackle of the fire. Okay, so that's two out of five down, just so I can sate the worry about _everyone _else hating me because of it. Lucy probably won't care too much, she'd probably want to poke the corpses like the weirdo she is, but I'm unsure on how the merchants would react. Maybe I'm overthinking it all over again, though, I've already _been _wrong once, I'm probably wrong again.

Hah, that weird lady was right, thank fucking god. It's strange that Edwards so lax about it though, maybe it's just how this world works? It's a lot more medieval than home, killings and death was probably a little bit more common. Maybe it's just more normal here? Doesn't make it right, at least to me, but it'd make the savagery a bit more understandable. I still feel like garbage about it, but I'll deal with it moving forward. Maybe I could ask _him _for help if I lose myself again, at least for the remaining time we have together.

"...It was hard for me, too." Edward suddenly pipes up again, humming in response as my ears twitch. Hard for him, what doe- ah, right.

"Do you want to talk about it? You don't have to, of course." I respond to the man in a soft voice, his lips pursing together as he hums in return. He really doesn't have to, I don't want to force him.

"It was a long time ago, and I wasn't exactly… in the best mind when I had to kill that keidran, but I did what I had to do. I wouldn't change anything if I had to do it again." He responds with a hardened yet blank voice, his eyes look like they're on the verge of glazing over as he stares into the fire. My heart pangs as I frown, reaching over to him and encompassing him into a one armed hug again.

"I know how that goes." I tack onto the end of it all, looking into the fire alongside him. There's an odd feeling in my chest, a welcoming worth that weighs on me pleasantly as we sit beside each other in silence. He's clearly not overjoyed with having to do it, despite his loathing for keidran, but he's steadfast in what he had to do. Maybe there's more that he's not willing to share, but I don't want to pry anymore than I have to. I wish that I could've made it less painless for them, but I wouldn't change the outcome of it all. I get how he feels.

I yelp in surprise as he suddenly shoves a hand on my head, ruffling my hair as he uses me as leverage to stand upright, that smug little grin on his face as he looks down to me.

"Seeing as you're awake now, it's _your _shift for the night, I'm fucking off to bed. See you in the morning, Fuzz." He gives me a lazy wave as he makes his way to a wagon, waving back to him even though he can't see me, rolling my eyes before staring into the sky.

I'm glad that all this went far better than I expected, here I was, worried that I'd be immediately cast out by my friends and shit. I do that a lot, don't I? For someone that overthinks so much, I retain so little actual information. Maybe I should relax some more, less dream shenanigan bullshit, less fighting, just try to have a day where things don't fucking explode into something awful. I let out a happy little sigh as I examine the twinkling stars, the warmth of the fire is welcoming despite the dulling of its flame. It's a nice and silent night, a good time to relax despite my posting, I just pray that this night's less hectic at least.

**I suppose now's not the best time to come back from the dive into your shitty memories, then?**

God fucking dammit.


	43. Chapter 43

The ray of the sun beams through the thick of the woods as it begins its early morning ascent, the morning dew clings to blades of grass as I brush over them, running my hands up my arms to keep myself warm in the damp weather. The firepits long since burned out, and I haven't exactly bothered to try to rekindle it anyways, the ashen remains are dampened with the moisture of the morn and I'm not gonna even _try _to light it up with fire magic of my own. I'd like to avoid using magic for now anyways, unless it's truly needed, I've been able to stand colder temperatures anyways. At least talking with the parasitic bastard in my brain kind of kills the time if nothing else, standing guard sucks ass when there's nothing going on, but part of me is glad that nothing happened last night. I can't wait to get back, and I pray that nothing goes wrong on the way there too, I want a fucking bed made of cloth or hay, something that's a bit more comfortable for longer than a few days.

**Come on you gross waste of skin, I thought you found our little conversations to be fun! Besides, you **_**wanted **_**me to come back, it's why you dunked your head into the void of your brain after all. 'Void' is the right word there too, seeing as the spot where those memories are meant to be is as blank as the rest of your head.**

I'm a man of many regrets, not even including the ones that I can't remember now, the mission of rescuing you is gonna be mashed with those regrets too. I still don't know what you mean by that, how the fuck _can't _you access my memories?

**You think I know? I just can't, there's **_**nothing **_**there to look for, not that there's much to look for to begin with. I ran through everything I could, but the **_**second **_**you get yanked into the abyss, everything fucking poofs. Like it never happened. Are you **_**sure **_**it happened? Your heads a bit fucked up after all.**

I stifle a growl as I sit back down onto the ground, my sight flickering between the woods that surrounds us and the wagons themselves, rubbing my fingers against my temples. Quick check up on the surroundings as a 'guard', nothing's here, at least as far as I know. As for the memories, I _know _that they happened, I _felt _it all god dammit. It might've just been a dream, or a nightmare, but there's no reason for you to be unable to look at them. You can look through any past dreams I have, right?

**Mhm, if you say so, psycho. I probably can, but it's not like there's much dreams to look for really, and that's including the **_**dream room **_**shit on top of it, as you've taken to calling that room. You'll probably forget about it all anyways, it's just a dream. **

I feel my temper flare up as he speaks, huffing and furrowing my brow as I glare into the dirt. I'm not going to fucking forget about it, about _any _of it, I'll stain those memories into my fucking _skin _if I have to. I sigh and rub at my head again, trying to dull the throbbings of pain that pulsates through it to no avail. I can't forget it, I won't let myself. A hiss of pain forces itself out of my lips as I continue to knead at my head, such a fucking irksome, _stabbing _pain. Thankfully Adrian shuts his trap as I tend to my head, the stabbing dying down slowly, maybe doing this is just a placebo, but at least I can pretend that this is helping. Fucking headaches. I don't think Adrian _meant _to aggravate me so much, but the boiling of my blood burns like a fire.

I'm surprised that you shut up for once instead of trying to fill my head with your incessant slurs, cat got your tongue? Or did you feel the need to shut up for once?

**Don't count on that happening again, your… lets say that your **_**drive **_**caught me off guard is all, I just said it was a dream that you'd forget, I've said far worse. Why are you acting like there's a stick up your ass cause of it?**

I'm not gonna for- fuck, I'm gonna drop it then. I meant what I said when I was carrying you out of there, it's a bit of a long story. It's just, I dunno, it's not exactly the best memories.

**Bah, it's not like we have much to do, we got plenty of time to talk bout your weird shitty dreaom. So long as we don't get jumped by some random mutt anyways, no need to worry about that, you know I'm basically eyes in the back of your head. **

I mumble to myself before I start to explain the events of what happened in the nightmare to Adrian, the doppelganger thankfully silent and unprodding during the conversation, it feels odd to try to talk so long to yourself mentally. It's not like it took place that long ago, I still remember it as clear as day. The warmth from the little buddy, the sight and feel of that loathsome deformed place, the panic from running away from the abyss, that monstrous being... The _fear of being consumed by the darkness _still runs up my spine, a grimace forcing itself on my face, such a fucking terrible feeling. I tell him about the whole possession thing, too, I can't exactly leave that out. I stop myself from telling him about the surprise therapy session with that _strange _lady though for some reason, her dull sounding voice was… oddly not too unwelcoming, and some part of me doesn't want to tell Adrian about it. Maybe I should omit it for the time being, and try to work on it by myself?

...I don't think he needs to know, no, I can just make things up, that's not gonna be too hard. Hah, try to hide something from someone in my head, that's gonna be a fucking fun time. I just won't think of her then.

**What happened next? **

We walked through the door, the light orb disappeared when I did, then I carried you out of there. Kind of anti-climatic, but I wasn't gonna start complaining, I didn't exactly wanna remain in that nightmare any longer than I had to.

I hum to myself and look around the area again, it feels like a token effort to at least _pretend _to guard the area from potential threats more than anything. More light leaks through the woods, too, the sight of both the sun and the moon is obstructed by the trees though. The only exit to this place is a singular one, too, straight out onto a dirt path. I wonder how we've managed to find such similar places to take up refuge for the night, not that I'm gonna start complaining anyways.

**..Hm, I have no strong feelings towards this mess, I'm just glad that I'm not stuck in the mock purgatory any more, it was fucking awful. I still detest that you sent me there in the first place, regardless of if you meant it or not. **

Hey, I said sorry, or at least I _meant _to. What about the possession stuff, though?

**What about it? **

You don't find that odd, or interesting, or _something_? Now that I _know _it's possible, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about it

**I'm not particularly interested in this whole mess beyond moving past it to be truthful. Don't worry about it too much ya waste of skin, I mean it when I say that I have **_**no **_**interest in controlling your body. **

How oddly aloof of you, I expected you to spill some more garbage from your mouth instead of trying to palm it off to dismiss it.

**Don't overthink it and blow a blood vessel, thinking isn't your strong suit after all. **

Close enough to garbage, I'm still fucking appalled that I missed your shenganigans.

**Hey, at least you're not alone anymore, right?**

Next time I'm gonna leave you to rot instead. My ears flicker upwards as the rustling of grass and a gentle clanking of metal catches my attention, my neck snapping to the source of the sound, the potential threat hidden behind one of the wooden wagons. I leap to my feet and grasp at my hip, pursing my lips together as my hand passes through air. Where the fuck is my sw-

Ah, right, it was taken from me when I passed out. Did I fucking forget to grab it from the wagon? I _knew _that they took it from me dammit.

**Fantastic, you have a **_**great **_**memory Zekey boy. You still have your fists don't you? You're a pugilistic brute that loves a good brawl after all, if only you remembered to grab the fucking mana crystal from your cloak pockets for once. **

I make my way over to the source of the sound, paw pads pressing lightly against the dirt as I slink around, lowing my breath as much as I can. It's not the same wagon that Mabel's sleeping in, thank the fucking lord, maybe it's just someone else waking up? Who'd wake up so early anyways?

**You know, it **_**could **_**just be Gerome, and you turning out to just be a paranoid bastard wouldn't be too unsurprising, it's very **_**you **_**after al-**

Shut the fuck up for a second god dammit. My muscles tense as I pass by the horses, stiffly creeping my way so as not to disturb the animals, my ears twitching again as a soft muttering flows through the air. A soft thud coincides with the mumbling, the beating in my chest rises in its intensity as I peer over to the side of the wagon. And into the view of a disgruntled looking Gerome, the elder man slouched over a malformed looking sack with a guttural grunting and a wince, though his face morphs into that familiar looking smile, albeit a tad bit pained.

"Oy, good mornings young Zeke! Can you ah, help in carrying these things? Geromes back is not what it used to be." A soft sigh escapes my chest as he pleads with me, the hurried beating of my heart slowing to a crawl as quickly as it once rose. It _was _just Gerome, Jesus Christ, I was shitting myself god dammit.

**Knew it, if only your paranoid delusions actually brought us **_**out**_ **of shitty situations for once instead of flaring up pointlessly. **

"Sure thing Gerome, are you gonna be okay?" I quickly step before him and grab the sack from the poor mans grasp, the clattering of metallic things smacking against one another inside the thing as I keep a lax grip on it. The weight sinks to the bottom of the sack, the hell's inside this?

"Old Gerome will be being alright, is not first time I've bit off more than I can chew." He winces again as he stands upright with his chest puffed out, a boasting grin on his face as he brushes past me, a quick gesture of his hand to follow.

"Does your back act up often?" I question the man as I follow close behind him, a hand pressed against his spine as he leans backwards, the cracking of bones filling the air alongside the airy sounding grunts that escapes his mouth, that overly jovial grin still plastered on his face.

"Oy, is something that happens more often now, than before, but Gerome is not feeble old man just yet! Don't do the worrying, Zeke." He brushes off the question with that friendly smile of his before turning away again, making his way towards the campfire. A shiver runs up my spine as I mumble to myself, something about his smile rubs me the wrong way at the moment. It doesn't look _forced _per se, it just looks somewhat bizarre, especially given how he must've seen me. I didn't expect him to put on such a friendly looking mask.

...Or I'm just over thinking it again, I don't think that he'd try to brush the incident aside if he _really _didn't like it. We'll just have to see in a bit, it's not like I can actually gauge what the man's feeling anyways.

**For once, that's something that we can both happily agree on. The whole mental screeching to make you feel bad is **_**my **_**job you prick, so don't go about and give us both a headache. **

I hum to myself as we approach the dampened fire pit, the old man mumbling under his breath as he kneels beside the ashen remains of it.

"Oy, would you be okay with goings out and getting some wood? Gerome has a little treat for the lot of you." He pipes up as he looks over to me, a preemptively thankful grin on his face as he stares at me. I roll my eyes and gently place the sack beside the old man before wandering away, towards the wagon that I often sleep in. Bastard, he probably knows that I'm not gonna be declining a request like that.

**You'd make a pretty good laptop, you know that? No wonder that weird emerald looking bitch had an interest in you.**

I ignore the verbal jab as I hum to myself, walking to the rear end of the cart with an ambling pace, stalling for a moment as I prepare to leap into the wagon itself. The emerald lady, huh? It's been a while since I've thought of her, I wonder how she's doing. I still remember how fearful that priest seemed when I brought her up. Father Levi, was it? I think that was his name, I don't remember him well, I remember what I can of the emerald lady _very _well, the way she looked, the pressure she put on my chest, the gloss of her hair and the shine in her green eyes…

**Don't get too excited there, degenerate, get your ass moving. **

I feel a light burning in my cheeks as I shake my head, heaving myself up and over the wooden gate into the dark of its insides, smothering the sound of my heavy breathing as best I can while I slink through the darkness, the soft breathing of Mabels sleeping form in her bundle of cloth the only sound in this place. I slowly rub at my temple as I look around the dark place as best as I can with the limited light. Smother that mental image of that lady, Zeke, I didn't exactly expect to be so distracted by the mere thought of her.

I feel my ears flicker up as my gaze falls upon a pile of metal, pressed up against the end of the wagon itself, the sheathed blade with the belt firmly attached to it lays beside the shield, an odd feeling stirring in my chest as I grab the both of them. The shield fits snugly in my arm, as expected, and the belt wraps around my hip just as well, there's a welcoming feeling that presses against my chest alongside the anxious one, a spare hand of mine resting on the hilt of the blade itself. I feel… odd, to have the same sword that I used to kill those keidran with by my side again. A guilty and solemn one, I guess, a clump of looming dread that writhes in my gut like a bundle of worms, it feels gross.

**Lo and behold, you're also in the same room as the kid right now, you gonna turn her into a sword sheath too or something?**

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I walk towards the exit, my gaze falling and sticking to the bundle of cloth in the room, the bundle rising and falling with a steady breath in a comfortable sleep. I feel my frown deepen as I finger at the hilt some more, shaking my head again and moving out of the wagon, steadying my breath and beating heart.

You're a bastard for bringing _her _up, you know that?

**I'm well aware, did you know that it's a delight to torment you? **

I figured that, you bastard of a parasite. I land on the dirt in a huff, shaking off the feeling of dread as best as I can, taking in as much of the fresh and cold air as I do so. There's a tugging feeling in my chest, pulling my vision down to the sword, pressing my palm against the pommel. I hesitate for a few moments longer before gripping at the hilt, unsheathing the blade and inspecting the thing. My frown turns into a grimace as I take in the gross sight, the blade's chipped in some places and relatively dulled compared to when I first received the gift, stains of dried blood coloured a dark blown is splattered up and down the blade in a few spots, clinging itself to the steel. I swallow down the bitter feeling in my throat as I sheath the blade, twisting to march towards Gerome. I wasn't aware that it was so _scuffed_, so fucked from that fight. Or, maybe it was being put under pressure from the other times I've used it wantonly? I haven't exactly been taking fantastic care of it.

**And whose fault is that?**

No one but my own, maybe if I break the sword myself I won't be tempted to use the thing. I try to squash down the bitter feeling that weighs on my mind as I finally approach the old man, looking over the little campsite that hes set up himself, a metal stand holding up a large, seemingly cast iron pan with a fire ignited underneath it, the old man clasping his hands together with a happy little grin. The fire itself is small, almost malnourished looking, it probably won't last too long without more fuel to add to it.

"Are you planning on cooking?" I ask him with a level tone, looking between him and the fire itself, an unnerved feeling pressing against my chest as my blood pumps. Fucking fire, fuck _magical _fire especially, I'm just glad that I didn't see him use that magic.

"Oy! Am goings to be cooking, ah, meat, a lot of meat. Gerome is good at cookings, just not good at _explaining _cookings, da? Will you be going to get wood? " He waves his hand dismissively as he flashes that jovial looking grin of his, looking up to me as he sits cross legged. I purse my lips together and gesture to the sheathed blade, answering him with a nod. His smile persists, though its intensity drops as he motions to the dirt.

"Take seat, young Zeke, you have bad look on your face, you are having bad thinkings, da?" He tries to speak in a low and understanding tone, but it seems so _off _with the rest of him, if that overly mirthful looking mask is just a mask, then he wears it pretty well.

"That's one way to put it." I answer with a muttering, resting my chin on a hand as I look into the dirt. He hums to himself, caressing his chin with a hand.

"Let Gerome guess, you are worryings about how _I _think, da?" He asks again with that smile of his, somehow it seems more gleeful when I nod in return, it's not like I'm gonna lie to him. He suddenly chuckles, though it's a mirthless one, the gleeful smile on his face falling flat and saddened.

"Battle is, sad, but that's obvious, da? Gerome has done far worse than young Zeke, would be bad to put you down for it. Gerome likes keidran, are good people, but not _all _are good people, as sad as Old Mother would be, is not possible in world. Do be talkings to Edward some more though, da? Poor boy, worried like a mother hen, though he always be acting stern." He lets out a loud but good natured laugh, his overly friendly smile reigniting on his face as he looks down to me. I can't help but smile in return, a friendly fluttery feeling in my chest.

"Thanks, old man." I finally chip up as I send him a smile, snickering as he holds a hand over where his heart would be.

"Don't be wounding such an old man! Now hurry up, go be getting wood, fire will die out soon and pot is not hot!" I give the old man a mock salute as I stand upright, a smile on my face as I look down to him.

"I'm not exactly hungry, so I'll pass the food onto Mabel, if you don't mind." I pipe up as I rub at the back of my head, and a niggling feeling on the back of my mind. I really haven't been hungry lately, is that something to worry about? Gerome chuckles in return though, giving me a wink as he motions away from me.

"Ah, to be young again." He says almost wistfully, his bright and wide smile belies his words though, waving him off as I move towards the woods. I uh, dunno what he meant by that exactly, but I'll just take it as a compliment of some kind. I hum to myself as I approach a tree, unsheathing my blade and swinging at the deadened branch that latches onto it, tucking the beginning of the wood pile under my arm.

Hey, Adrian?

**Whats up shitstick?**

You remember those monsters I described to you, right?

**Sadly, I can feel how fucking **_**uncomfortable **_**you are with just bringing them up too, what about it?**

Do you have any idea what those could be? What could act like that?

**Fuck I know, how the fuck are you expetcing me to understand what that nightmare was meant to mean?**

I dunno, but it's nice to just hear another point of view I guess. I can hear the parasitic doppelganger hum aloud in my skull as I grunt, cutting down more branches to add fuel to the fire. He shouldn't need much, right? How much is he planning to cook?

**Well, what in your mind could **_**possibly be seen**_ **as absolute monsters with no humanity, complete and utter beasts, only to act with a degree of self preservation and caring for others of their own race?**

I purse my lips together as I freeze, the memory of _those monsters caring for one another _brushing against my mind. My limbs feel both heavy and numb as I continue to focus on the task at hand, just collect the fucking wood Zeke.

I very much don't like what you're suggesting, Adrian.

**I know, but it sounds **_**fantastic **_**to me.**

….

The final march towards the towns sign is a thankfully quiet one, Edward awoke with minimal hassle, as did Vector. Lucy was another story, the miniature mage a pouting and huffing mess, I wonder if she was so flustered from being shaken awake by Edwar, at least it was humorous in its own way. The food that rests in my stomach feels both uneasy and welcoming, it tasted nice, but the numbness from Adrian still rests on my shoulders, the little bastard. At least Mabel scoffed down the food with a ravenous vigor, her embarrassment afterwards was endearing. Maybe I should get her some more food, maybe from that inn? Would kids even be allowed in an inn? I dunno, but it's the only type of place I know that serves food. The kid looks borderline scrawny, probably didn't get much food from being a slave, who am I to deny her gratification anyways? Granted, I don't have _money _left, but that's why I'm getting paid.

It feels weird to stand in front of the sign, too, it's as if I've been away from this place for a rather long time. How long has it been anyways, a week at best? I'm not really sure, but that doesn't matter too much, what _does _matter is what I'm gonna do after all this mess. I murmur to myself as I scratch at my chin, a puzzling predicament indeed, and the flickering of my ears doesn't really help with my thinking.

**While it's of no concern to me, I feel as if you might want to respond to your friend. **

I hum aloud and shake my head, twisting my neck to turn to a familiar face, his eyebrow raised and his arms crossed. I feel my cheeks burn lightly as I rub at the back of my neck, an embarrassed feeling smile on my face.

"Can you uh, say that again?" I ask awkwardly, the edges of my lips curling further upwards as he sighs, pinching at the bridge of his nose.

"Very well, your contract to the job is more or less finished as of now, though I'll have to speak to Uncle to finish it up, smooth out the creases if you will. While you're free to do as you wish, I'd prefer you to remain within the town for the time being, to meet up at the Inn within a reasonable amount of time. It shouldn't take long." He states loud and proud with his chest puffed out and a serious looking glint in his eye. I can't help but feel somewhat amused by it, snickering to myself as he finishes up, seeing him so serious and clad in that guardsman armour is just funny in a strange way.

"Aye aye current boss man, are you paying for this date or am I? Perhaps we should go dutch?" I offer the man in a sarcastic tone and a raised brow, chuckling to myself again as he groans aloud, rubbing his hand over his face. Ah, it's fun to mess with this dork, god bless him.

"It's no- just, go do what you want to do Fuzz, I'll see you soon." He finishes the conversation with an exasperated tone, waving me off as he marches down the hill. I give him a lazy salute and a wave in return, even if he can't see it. I hum to myself and scratch at my chin once more, the fuck was I gonna do again? I know I should visit Anna _some time_, but I'll likely do that later.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuzzy!" I let out a grunt as something dives into my side, stumbling for a moment before recuperating, looking down to the gnat that's lodged herself into me, her chin resting on my side as she looks up to me.

"Hiya!"

"And uh, good morning to you too Lucy, what are you up to?" I ignore her uh, strange quirkiness, a small sigh of relief in my chest as she lets go, shrugging and clasping her hands behind her back. Here I was hoping that I'd go throughout most of the day without some shenanigans.

"Nooothin much, are _you_ gonna be doin much?" She asks with a sickly sweet tone, a delightful smile on her pale face, her clothes swishing alongside the wind.

"That's what I'm wondering." I reply with a deadpan tone and a shrug of my own, the small lady giggling in response. I feel like she wants something from me, just don't know what.

"Weeeell, there's an inn around here right? And you haaaave to go there, so why dontcha get us a few drinks? I'm sure you're a little _tense _at the moment after all~" She finishes what I assume to be a less than subtle suggestion with a wink, giggling again as I cough into my hand, my face burning again. Jesus christ, this chick's weird, the way she unnerves me is almost an art, or a well crafted persona.

**It's your fault that she's tagging along with us, quit whining. I'd rather we not spend more time than what we need to though. **

"You just wanna experiment with magic and shit with me some more, don't you?" I accuse the mage as I cross my arms, her mouth opening wide as she lets out a mock gasp, a hand raised to her lips.

"Why would ya ever think that, Fuzzy?" A smug looking grin rests on her face as she continues to look up at me, edging ever closer. I sigh to myself and rub at my temple, god dammit.

"Alright alright, fine, I'm gonna get paid later, I'll get us some grog then, okay?" I fold to the lady pretty quickly, honestly, her little squee of glee is her immediate response as she skips away, I imagine that she still has that grin on her face. A boisterous laugh from behind me forces me to jolt in surprise, a thick arm wrapping around my shoulder as I'm dragged along into a one armed surprise hug.

"Oy, lookings for cute lady, young Zeke?" I hear the friendly taunting of Gerome filling my ears as I shiver, pushing myself off of the foreign man as I turn to face him, a shit eating grin plastered on his face.

"Ich, I think I'll pass, nothing wrong with a few drinks to celebrate right?" I respond to him with a shrug, his laughter filling the air once more.

"Young Zeke be correct there! Gerome and Vector would be joining, but work stuff, you understand da? Also, where are you takings child?" He questions as he digs his hands into his pockets, rummaging through them, what's he looking for?

"I get you Gerome, don't worry about that too much. I'm taking the kid with me, might as well get her some more food." I answer with another shrug, my gaze looking over to his wagon for a brief moment, the kids still in there at the moment, probably sleeping off her breakfast for now. I look back to Gerome, a confused look on his face as he looks to me.

"You are, takings child to inn?" He seems a bit startled by that, his eyebrow raised as he stares into me. I purse my lips together as he seems to stare into my soul, with almost judging and confused eyes, letting out another sigh as I pinch at the bridge of my nose.

"Yes, I know, it sounds weird, but I don't know where else _sells _food. Other than the food market anyways." I finally answer the judging man, our eyes connecting as he continues to stare. He suddenly breaks the connection as he lets out a joyful laugh, eyes squeezing shut along with it. I feel, uh, confused, what?

"Oy, am surprised is all, normally people don't be takings kids to inn, but Gerome understands what you mean. Just don't get into trouble, da?" He finally speaks as his laughter dies down, a mirthful grin on his face. I can't help but feel flustered as I rub at the back of my neck, awkwardly laughing along with him, it's not _my _fault I dunno where the fuck a food joint around here would be. I yelp in surprise as he tosses a decently sized pouch towards me, catching it with a hand, the clinking of coins filling my ears.

"A gift from me, for takings care of child and doing far more for me than you had to, do your best. Take good rest too, might be calling on you later." His smile looks… I dunno, it looks more personally friendly and warm than before, giving me a wink of his own before dipping out of the conversation, heading towards Vector. I can't help but feel confused, though warmth still stirs in my chest regardless, a smile on my face as I look inside the pouch itself. The glistening of silver and gold coins flicker in the meagre sunlight.

**That's a fair bit of coin, what a nice little tip. He's probably just trying to buy your silence. **

I'll probably check just how much is in this later, and maybe, but I'd like to imagine that he's just thankful. I smile to myself and tie the opening together into a knot as best as I can, I'll probably end up throwing this in my bag when I get the chance. I whistle to myself as I make my way over to Geromes wagon, pulling myself up and over into it, kneeling beside the mound of cloth with a smile on my face. I brush it away, revealing Mabels face to the cold air of the outside world, her nose twitching as she mumbles to herself. I feel bad for waking her up, it's an almost serene looking moment, she's so fucking _cute _god dammit.

**Bah, you're fucking weird, hurry it up. **

I roll my eyes to myself and brush a hand against her face, softly nudging and petting her cheek, the girl silently mumbling to herself as her eyelids flicker half open, part of her golden eyes visible behind it as a yawn escapes her maw. The cloth of my cloak falls from her arms like a drape as she stretches, a purr coming from her chest as I ruffle her scuffed hair.

"Cmon kid, you gotta get up, we've got places to be." I say in a low voice to her, ruffling her hair softly, chuckling to myself as she squeaks out another yawn, it might take her a bit to wake up. I stand upright and start to rummage through the stock, pursing my lips together as I lug crates aside, where the fuck's my bag? I swear I didn't leave it too far from the exit.

**Look at the furthest in the back.**

Ah, there it is, thanks Adrian.

**I'd prefer if you didn't mention it, I have an image to maintain after all. **

I roll my eyes as I loop the messenger bag over my shoulders, slipping the coin pouch into it, I hope that it doesn't rustle around too much and spill the cash everywhere. I wonder how it got up there anyways, I guess someone moved it? Bah, no point in trying to question it too much now. Mable continues to murmur under her breath as she stands on unsteady legs, wobbling from side to side as she groggily rubs at her eyes, the cloak hanging over her like an enlarged blanket, purple scarf poking out from the neck of it. She looks like she's barely awake, holding onto that wisp of a thread, poor girl.

I gently guide her to the exit, lifting her out from it and onto the ground, the little squeak of surprise bringing a smile to my lips even as she shivers, curling the oversized cloak around her shoulders.

"You gonna be okay kid?" I ask her cautiously, placing my hand atop her head and rubbing gently, her immediate response being a high pitched hum of approval and nuzzling back into my hand. I'll keep an eye on her anyways, I think this is, what, the second time she's gonna be walking through a town populated by _humans_? I think I carried her the first time, when she was still sleeping.

"Awh, arentcha two cute~?" A teasing voice brings me out of my thoughts, along with her giggling, sighing to myself as I turn to face her.

"Are _you _ready, Lucy?" I ignore her question with my own, nestling my hand into Mabels hair, the small keidran pressing against my side. I'd like it if she stayed close, I don't want her running off.

"Yupa yup!" She responds in turn, that light hearted grin stained on her pale face even now. I resist the urge to groan as we begin our walk, my neck twisting to glance at the sign again.

Welcome back to Dartwood, I guess.


	44. Chapter 44

It feels strange to be back in this town again, it's as if I've been out of this place for a very long time, though everything remains the same, at least from what I can see. It's odd to waltz through streets unimpeded by humans stacked shoulder to shoulder, pushing each other out of the way to get to their destination, these streets are comparatively barren of them, other than a few outliers who keep to themselves. Though I can see their eyes shift to glance at us, they otherwise don't make any motions to interrupt us. Something about there being less people makes me feel _more _exposed than normal, as if their eyes are drawn to me. I guess it really shouldn't surprise me too much, given how this world works, we'd seem like a bizarre ragtag little group, a tiny keidran child clinging to the side of a basitin whilst a human chick goes on and skips around like an _actual _human child, whistling an innocent sounding tune in the meanwhile.

They probably just think I'm a keidran too in all honesty, and think that Lucy's a fucking weirdo, which isn't too far from the truth in all honesty. At least my comparatively oversized cloak that weighs on Mabel just makes her look more endearing, even if the ends of it's being dragged across the dirty stone. The look on her face is a strange mix of worried yet content, a hand meekly gripped on the cloak, purring occasionally as I pet and ruffle her hair. Cute kid, I hope she isn't as nervous as she seems, so long as she doesn't run off it'll be fine. Its a low chance, but it worries me

**You're a fucking weirdo, the cloak's gonna be soiled by the time you grab it off of her. Also, can you get the weird chick to shut the fuck up? It both sounds and feels like chalk being dragged up and down a blackboard for fucks sake. **

Probably, but that's what _cleaning's_ for after all. I wince and purse my lips together as the lady's whistling reaches a peak, my ears flattening against my neck, it really isn't _that _bad, my ears could just be overly sensitive after all, but there I do wanna start some sort of conversation

"Hey, miss Lucy, have you been to Dartwood before?" I pipe up suddenly, the lady's mouth clamping shut as she raises a finger to her chin, humming for a while in response.

"Nupe, or at least, not for _too _long anyways, I don't really get the chance to move around the world too much," She replies after a short while, clasping her hands behind her back and walking beside me again, a small smile on her face as she brings her face closer to mine, giving me a likely faux innocuous wink. "Perhaps you can show me around later, Zeke~?"

A shiver runs up my spine as I lean away from the unnerving girl, not so subtly nudging her away with a hand.

**I've nothing but disdain for the continued existence of this little lady, can we get rid of her? Please?**

Don't be like that, she's just a bit... quirky is all, I just hope she

"Perhaps another time, miss Lucy." I respond to her curtly, breathing a sigh of relief as she pulls away with a pout on her lips. Personal space and all, I don't mind breeches of it as long as it's on _my _terms. "Why do you do that, anyways?"

"Hmn? Whatcha mean by that?" She answers my question with a question, and the tilt of her head, the edges of her lips curled up into a barely noticeable smile. She knows what I mean by that, the little brat. She lets out a shrill little yelp of surprise as I flick her nose, a hand of hers raised to rub at the afflicted area, pouting and huffing as I chuckle.

"You know what I mean, Lucy." I give her a non answer with a flat tone, raising an eyebrow as I look down to her. She keeps eye contact for a few moments before huffing again, looking up and away.

"Well, if you _hafta _know, it's cause gettin reactions outta you is amusing. It's also stuff I like to write down into my notes to keep track of ya! There's _so _many things I wanna test on you, things that I want ya to do, to find ya limits with magic and stuff! Does alchemy potions work on you if they're consumed or injected, what about more poison? Is there a limit to what _type _of poison you can stomach? Does it matter if they're made by humans or if they're purely natural? By the masks I wish I had more basitin bodies to work on, ya people are so damned xenophobic it's incredible, so I'm glad that _you're _around to help me wit-" I sigh to myself and tune out the little magicians ramblings, rubbing at my temple to soothe the growing headache. Well, that certainly set her off didn't it? I guess that it all boils down to 'I like it therefore I do it', even if some things she says goes over my head. I spare a glance down to Mabel, the girl looking up to me with a confused stare and a tilt of her head, giggling lightly as I shrug in response to the silent question, returning to ruffling her hair soon after.

**You get distracted pretty easily when people talk, I've noticed. **

It's hard to concentrate when people ramble on a bit too much, though I admit to being guilty of it myself. Distracted is definitely a word you could use though. Lucy continues to ramble on as we make our way through the town, the uneasy feeling in my chest gradually falling off as people stop staring, I don't like it when people stare.

...Hey wait a fucking second, does she want me to _drink _poison? What the fuck?

**You just realised? Its not as if its a fucking secret that we're basically a test subject to her, **_**you **_**let it happen.**

I know! It's just, surprisingly brazen is all, I guess I should've expected it from her though, social tact doesn't seem like her strong suit. Who fuck just asks 'hey, can you drink this poison for me' to begin with?

**This little maniac, clearly, no wonder you brought her along. It's not as if your social understanding is exactly fantastic either, the pot calls the kettle black. **

Stop bullying her, even if she can't hear it, she's a mostly nice girl.

**She's a fucking sadist that scares the ever living fuck out of me, the fact that you don't think so is unnerving.**

She's a curious mind, you stop that, she's fine as she is right now. Probably, I think so anyways.

**Pfah, she's trying to get your attention by the way, you might wanna respond to her before she blows her lid. **

I blink rapidly and pull myself away from the pale pouting face, shaking my head to clear my thoughts as I stop in my tracks. Huh, how long has she been doing that? Was she doing it while we've been walking, too?

"You weren't listening to a word I was saying, were you?" She accuses with a huff, crossing her arms as she stares at me with a piercing squinting glare, it's not exactly intimidating given her stature.

"Why miss Lucy, I'd never be so disrespectful." I answer her with a smug feeling smile, tilting my head back as I look down to her. She huffs again and smacks at my chest, a light hit that barely registers as a hit to be honest, there's no muscle in those scrawny arms of hers. "It's not very lady like to attack someone either, how dareth."

"You're an asshole, and no fun either." She finally speaks with another huff, turning her nose to the sky, like a faux stuck up snob. My grin turns into a more genuine smile as the sound of Mabels giggling flows through the air, my hand leaving her head for a brief moment to bow to the lady, an overly theatrical and mocking one that dips nice and low for her.

"Please, I pray that you may find the kindness in your heart to forgive me, Milady." I apologise to the lady, for the obviously grievous misdeed I've committed. Another giggle fills the air as Lucy shivers, a disgusted look on her face as she _visibly _recoils.

"Fuzz, ya better never do that again, ya have no idea how fuckin _weird _that is coming from _you_" She reaches up and flicks at the tip of my nose, snickering as I feel my face scrunch up, pawing and rubbing at the area to subdue the sting. Heh, at least now I know how to get under her skin, such an obviously important discovery is something I'm gonna keep in mind. I feel somewhat slighted though, it wasn't _that _bad was it?

**I feel absolutely degraded by that, while **_**you **_**might not have any sense of shame because you're a weirdo, I'm unluckly saddled in your head, please don't fucking do that again. **

I'll keep that in mind too, the way _both _of you reacted is fucking hilarious. I open my mouth to speak before clamming them shut, a tugging feeling at the base of my spine distracting me for a moment as I twist around, looking down to face the intrusion. A small child tugs at my tail, brown mid length hair bobbing lightly as she does so, the front of it just barely dipping below her eyes while the back of her hair does the same, dipping just below her shoulders. Sticks jutt out of her dirt coated, almost grimy and mattered looking hair that sticks to her as she looks up to me, her eyes are a glowing looking ruby red, filled with a strangely familiar childish excitement. She's clad in a dirtied green looking shirt, oddly enough with matching shorts too, her chest heaving lightly as she takes in deep breaths.

"Hey again mister! Can I touch your ears again?" She gasps out her question, following it up with an innocent looking beam of a smile, my ears twitching violently as she asks. I feel Mabel shuffle and hide behind my leg, her claws poking into my flesh as she whimpers. I purse my lips together as my heart races, who the fuck's this? Do I know her? Where the fuck did she come from, I should've heard her approach.

"Do I know you, kid?" I try to keep a level tone as I speak to her, yanking my tail from her gentle grasp, trying to ignore the little 'aw' of disappointment from her. Something about her _seems _familiar, have we met before? I turn to face her properly, planting a hand on Mabels head to ruffle it briefly as she moves behind me. I know it's just a kid, but I've had varying degrees of enjoyment from meeting people who recognise me, who's to say that I didn't fuck with her parents of some kind?

"Aw, dontcha remember me mister? I touched ya ears before, they were super fluffy!" She seems to shrug off the initial disappointment with a cheerful reply, her grin wide and childish. I let out a tense sigh as I feel my heart rate slow down, the beating of blood in my veins slowing down alongside it. It's just a kid that knows me, calm the fuck down Zeke, don't be so defensive.

"I'm surprised you got a thing with kids, here I thought it was just with Mabel." My ears twitch as I shoot Lucy a little glare, a shit eating smile on her face as she lets out a titter, the hands that cover her lips doesn't do much to smother the sound of it. Little bastard, I'll deal with her later. Something niggles at the back of my mind, though, a faint memory that just barely rests beneath the surface.

"Sorry kid, I don't have the best memory, I haven't been here in a while to begin with. Where's your parents? I can't imagine that they'd be pleased that you've run off to a stranger, they're probably worried sick for you right now." I look down to take a glance at the kid that cowers behind my legs, my digits digging behind her ears in an attempt to soothe her, it seems to do somewhat well enough given the way she sighs and relaxes into my hand. Probably got spooked by the kid popping up randomly, lord knows I was surprised. The strange child lets out a mix of a groan and a huff, something about it feels somewhat amusing, she's probably gotten this type of lecture before, by her parents and other adults.

"You sound like dad, and he's booooring." She says with a proper overblown huff, kind of reminds me of Lucy to be honest. I squint and look down to her, her ruby red eyes seem oh so _familiar_, the way she acts, even her fucking _clothes_ do. It takes a bit of memory scrambling, but it clicks into my head after a while, my ears twitching upwards in recognition.

"Wait a second, you're Felicity, right? You're the kid that I met _ages _ago." Is that who this little girl is? I don't recall anyone else with red eyes like hers, and she's grown a fair bit too, must've been a growth spurt. Her youthful smile only seems to widen as she nods her head almost violently, ruby eyes shining in the rays of the sun.

"I knew you remembered me! Does that mean I can touch your ears again? Pretty please?" She asks with a squeaking tone, finally grinning from ear to ear as leans forward. I can't help but chuckle a bit, something about her childish demeanor just feels cute, overexcited and overly friendly.

"I got places to be, sadly. Maybe some other time, sorry kid." I apologise to her as I rub the back of my neck, ears twitching as she both groans and huffs again. She's done that a fair bit already, is that a kid thing?

"Aw, but I said _pretty please! _Can I touch her ears instead?" She shoves a digit towards the keidran that cowers behind my leg, the girl whimpering meekly as the attention brought to her, hiding her face from view. I frown for a moment, something inside my chest flaring up for a moment as I flinch, smothering the flickering _thing _that stirs in my veins as best as I can. What an… odd initial reaction to a simple question, she doesn't mean any harm, she's just a curious kid.

"Sorry, she's not _really _used to humans just yet, not a very social girl you see, and you might've scared her a little." It's not exactly a _lie _that I'm telling the kid, but it's not exactly the plain truth, and it comes through my lips as easily as a breath of air. I feel like that should be worrying, but a little white lie to not explain to a child _why _Mabel is how she is doesn't do any harm. She lets out another 'aw' of disappointment, pout coming full force. My heart twinges in my chest a little at the sight, aw man, now I just feel a bit bad about it. It's a fleeting feeling though, an annoyed feeling replacing it as Lucy snickers behind me, shooting a squinted glance to her for a moment. She's probably enjoying this, little bastard.

I hum to myself as Felicity mumbles something under her breath, an abashed look on her face as she rubs and down her arm. I think I have _an _idea of some kind, if Mabel wants to go along with it anyways. Said keidran lets out a little squeak of surprise as I kneel beside her, bringing her close and ruffling her hair softly.

"Do you want to say hey to her? She's a friendly kid, just a bit loud. You don't have to if you don't want to." I whisper to her, nudging a head towards Felicity herself, the human girl humming in a confused tone as she tilts her head. Mabel mumbles to herself for a moment, her hands fumbling with itself before nodding, a soft and barely noticeable one, but a nod. I smile and ruffle her hair again, slowly bringing her in front of me, the keidran standing up stiffly.

"...H-hello." She finally speaks out in a barely audible, almost forced sounding voice, waving a hand to the human child. It's a curt looking wave that looks as stiff as her back does, not that Felicity notices the apparent discomfort anyways, her look of confusion instantly replaced with an overly bright grin.

"Hi! My name's Felicity, what's your name?" She replies with a friendly, high spirited voice, her hands clasped in front of her. Mabel shuffles from foot to foot for a while, I swear I can almost _feel _her anxiousness in my chest, my hand rubbing behind her ears and through her hair to comfort the nervous little girl. Come on kid, you can do it, I believe in ya.

"M-my name's Mabel, it's nice to meet you." She finally responds meekly, bowing her head stiffly and awkwardly, I assume it's meant to be in respect. I can't help but feel amused by it, she's trying her best to be approachable despite it all. She lets out a small trilling noise as I scratch behind her ear again, a smile on my face as she pushes into my hand, I knew you could do it kid. I sure hope she doesn't _feel _forced by it all, I'm sure she knows she can back out.

**This entire scene makes me want to puke, can we hurry this up?**

Shh, let the kids be kids, she's gonna speak!

"It's nice to meet you Mabel! Do you wanna be friends?" She suddenly offers, I can't help but feel a bit taken aback from it though, looking down to her with a confused squint. Do kids just, offer to be friends? Is that how it works? That can't be right, is that a kid thing?

**Your sense of obtaining friendship is a bit skewered, to be fair, so what do you know.**

That's a fair point I guess, but it still sounds so strange. Mabels head tilts as she hums, her tail flickering underneath the cloak for a moment.

"Friends?" She questions in return, she almost sounds… confused by it, is she confused by the offer itself, or does she not know what a friend is? Felicity shares the same confusion, it seems, a frown on her twisting face.

"Yeah? Do ya know what a friend is?" Mabel's silent for quite a while, the tense little keidran rubbing a hand up and down her arm. I can't help but worry, though, am I pushing her too far? I'm proud that she's done so well in talking to someone else, I _want _her to be able to grow out of her shell, and yet…

Felicity lets out an indignant sounding huff as she puts her fists on her hips, Mabel squeaking in surprise and leaning away from the sudden sound.

"Well! I'll be your friend, then, if that's okay with you! I haven't a friend that looks like you before!" She exclaims with a bright and proud grin, reaching out to Mabel with an outstretched hand. Mabel stares up to me for a moment, a confused yet interested look on her face. Is she wanting guidance or approval or something? I nudge a head towards the human girl as I smile, you got this kid.

"Okay." She says with a nod, a surprising determination in her voice as she reaches out to the outstretched hand, clasping and shaking it, there's an almost tentative look to it despite it all though.

"Hurray! It's nice to meetcha Mabel!" Felicity pulls her hands away and clasps it behind her back, a brilliant smile on her face as she giggles. The echoes of a faint shouting flows through the air, my ears twitching along with it, does anyone else hear it too?

"Hey Felicity, did you tell your dad where you're going, or did you run off again?" I question the kid as I stand up again, the girl hops from foot to foot with an embarrassed look on her face, her smile falling to a half hearted one as she looks up?

"Maaaaaybe I might've forgotten, but he's so slow and boooring." She whines out loud again in that shrill voice of hers, crossing her arms and huffing _again_. Is this a kid thing to be so… rebellious? Here I was thinking that was more so a teenager thing.

"And I'm sure he loves you very much, he's probably worried sick about you," I try to convince her as I nudge my head away, but she doesn't budge, a defiant look on her face appearing before she looks away. Hm, I think I might have an idea. "Tell you what, go back to your father, and I'll talk to your mother about all this to see what happens, maybe you'll spend some more time with Mabel here, how does that sound?"

She looks a bit more convinced from the offer, a torn look on her face as she squints, glaring into my eyes.

"Do you proooomise?"

"I promise, I'll even pinky promise it. As long as you get back to your dad." I lower a hand down to her height, wriggling it in front of her to entice the kid. She takes the bait pretty quickly, wrapping her comparatively tiny finger around mine and squeezing as tight as she can.

"You better not break the promise, see ya!" She dips out of the conversation in a puff of smoke, kicking up dirt as she sprints away. I blink slowly as I stare at her back, disappearing around a corner and out of sight, she's pretty fucking fast for a kid. No wonder her dad can't catch up, how does such short legs carry a kid around so quickly? I'm glad that she's gone back to her father though, god knows that I'd shit myself if Mabel disappeared like that.

I kneel down beside Mabel again, running my hand through her hair once more, her head tilting as she looks to me.

"What do you think of her?" I softly whisper to her, snickering lightly as her ears twitch.

"...I like her, loud, but she seems nice." She replies in turn, a soft little smile on her face. She lets out a squeak as I pull her into a warm hug, resting a hand on her head as she mumbles and purrs.

"I'm proud of you, Mabel." I whisper to her again before pulling away, ruffling her now _thoroughly _messy hair once more as I stand upright. The feeling of pride swells in my chest as she beams, leaning into my side affectionately. God, I'm really glad that all worked out, she's a good kid, the way she was brought up in this world is just fucking garbage. Alright, keep it in Zeke, don't get too emotional in public of all places.

**I've wanted to puke during all of that, Jesus fucking Christ. **

I wondered where you went, don't like kids?

**Not in the slightest, can we hurry up and fuck off now?**

My ears twitch as a snickering echoes from behind me, humming to myself as I twist my neck, a devious little grin on Lucys face as she steps closer. A chill creeps up my spine as she stares, Jesus Christ.

"Yes, miss Lucy?" I ask her in an attempted nonchalant tone, ignoring the cold sweat that beads on my forehead. Lucy please stop.

"Can _I_ touch your ears, Fuzz~?" The tension in my limbs deflates abruptly, rubbing my temples with a hand as she giggles.

"No." I answer the lady flatly, gently tugging at Mabels cloak as we waltz away, I'm sure the inn isn't too far off.

"Awh, come on! They're so fluffy!"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"Sure."

"Wait, really?"

"No, stop asking." Lucy's angered huffing gives me _great _joy, my lips curling into a smile even as she whines behind me, it's getting easier to tune her out at least.

**You're not actually gonna try to keep up with that kid and her family, right?**

I might've told some half lies to a child, but I'm not gonna break the sacred pinky promise willingly.

**God fucking dammit, I **_**loathe **_**you.**

….

The inns door squeaks as I shove it open, Mabel meekly clinging to my side as Lucy waltzes in from behind, the suns warm rays leak in through the windows to illuminate the area, it seems familiar enough from whatever vestiges of my memory that I can recall. Stools set up near the bar area, tables and stools for them scattered about the room with patrons seated beside them, chatting and drinking with themselves, stairs leading up to the inns second floor. Nice and clean, very stereotypical looking, I feel as if there's some solace in remembering this place, however faint it may be. I sure hope it doesn't get too rowdy here, I don't exactly like the thought of being stuck in an inn when it gets loud, I can almost imagine the ringing in my ears already.

There's no sight of Edward, though, nor his Uncle. I guess that the whole schtick with killing time with that kid didn't really do much. It was… oddly nice to meet someone I once met in my newer memories again, even if it's just a child, I fully expect to never see a person again when I leave a town. I wonder if her mother works here still, I sure hope so, I banked the pinky promise off of it.

**A promise that I wish you could shove up your ass, you goddamned waste. It's so fucking **_**pointless. **_

You're so _testy _about it, it's still funny. I guide the group to a table and take a seat, helping Mable up onto a stool as Lucy takes another seat, sighing to myself as I rest my chin on a hand, leaning into the wood. Fantastic, now to play the waiting game until they show up, _surely _they won't be too long, right?

"Are you feeling okay Mabel? Stools aren't really comfortable after all." I quickly pipe up as I look over Mabel, the keidran nodding rapidly in response, shuffling in her seat. A smile crawls onto my face as I plant my hand atop her head again, a flicker of delight igniting in my chest with her purrs flowing through the stifled air. My ears twitch as Lucys snickering brings me out of the moment, looking over to her with a side glance. Her snickering dies down quickly, but her irksome looking grin still remains.

"Do you have something to say, miss Lucy?" I question the mage lightly, her teasing grin only growing wider as she plants her chin atop her clasped hands, resting it on her fingers.

"Oh noooot at all Fuzzy, I think it's cute how you care for the kid is all." I feel my face burn up while she giggles, rolling my eyes as I shuffle in my seat.

"Cute isn't quite a word that I'd use, but who am I to judge you for it. It's not as if it's something to be thankful for though, she's a good kid." She looks somewhat confused by that answer, tilting her head while she nudges forward. Ah, I have a gut feeling that I already know how this conversation's gonna go.

"Really? Why do you say that? She looks pretty thankful for it." She retorts, her eyes flickering from myself to Mabel. The kid doesn't look very thankful of being made the center of attention, mumbling to herself as she fiddles with her hands, she looks pretty out of place in a building like this.

**You're the reason why she's here.**

I'm well aware. I hum to myself, tapping my fingers against my cheek while I think. Why _do _I say that is indeed a question.

"I just think it's the right thing to do, I don't think _anyone _should be put down, human or otherwise, let alone a fucking kid. Is it really that strange around here to look after a child, even if they're a keidran?" I question the mage in return, sparing a side glance to the kid in question. She doesn't look entirely comfortable, but I don't see any type of intense discomfort in her face. I'm sure we won't be here long, don't worry kid.

"Weeeeeeeeell, you know humans and keidran _reaaaaally _don't get along, it's quite the history. Children aren't exactly exempt from it, ya know." I feel a sneer cross my face as I look away, my fingers drumming against my face with a renewed fervour.

"Pfeh, this world sucks dick. Regardless, I'm not just gonna leave her alone, even if it's just me." I say stiffly, a miffed feeling in my chest while I glance away from her for a moment. Garbage fucking fucking world, garbage war, garbage _slavery_, it makes my fucking _blood boil. _Her laugh brings me back to attention though, it's not a _giggle_, it's a genuine good humoured laugh, one that forces my ears to flicker as I look over to her again.

"Hah, your hope is both endearing and intriguing. I think ya make a good enough surrogate for her." She says cheerfully with a wink. I tilt my head while we look at one another, surrogate? For what? The door squeaks open before I get the chance to speak, a familiar armoured guardsman coming into view with a stack of scrolls stuck underneath his arm along with another, his cape flickering in the faint wind. Ah, so they've finally arrived huh? They took their sweet ass time, but I guess there's not really a rush.

The appearance of the captain seems to cause quite a stir, though, the murmuring of the customers inside muffled into whispers as they speak between themselves, a red headed lady that I assume to be a waitress of some kind waltzing up to the pair and chatting with them, though their words are muted regardless of how much I strain my ears to listen in on them. The captains face is hidden behind his shiny helmet, Edwards' face is clear on display though, his reaction being a mix of embarrassment and exasperation, it looks like she's got under his skin in some way. I assume that he knows her, though I can't say the same, her fiery red hair _is _familiar enough though. The captain finally waves her off with a hand and a few words, the lady rolling her eyes before sauntering off. I wave my hand in the air as Edward looks to us, nudging his uncle with an arm before marching over to us, my gaze lingering on the stacks of scrolls.

"Please don't tell me I have to sign anything, you do _not _wanna see my writing." I strike up the conversation with a whine, chuckling while Edward scoffs, taking a seat beside Lucy as the captain looms behind him.

"No, nothing from me anyways, this is something that I have to carry around myself so I can deliver them later." He replies with a sigh, slumping onto the table and rubbing at his temple. Lucy coos and pets his shoulder, giggling as he gives her a sharp glare. I feel I've been usurped, it's my job to mess with him dammit! The giggling cuts off as the captain clears his throat, his head shifting over to me along with his gaze.

"While I'm quite busy myself, I've brought myself along with Edward here to thank you in person. I've heard a few things about you." He speaks with an unwavering voice, his hands clasped underneath his cape as he stands upright, just like a commander.

"I pray that you've heard only the good things, captain." I respond with a gleeful smile, eyes shifting over to Edward for a moment as he buries his face into his hands, scrolls placed neatly beside him. The captain surprisingly lets out a small snort of amusement, though he shows no other emotions beside that.

"You're wet behind the ears, but that's no surprise. I'd like to speak with you later, business I don't believe to be appropriate here." I blink in surprise, his blank and emotionless tone doesn't exactly give me any ideas on what that's about, a queasy feeling stirring in my chest.

"I uh, alright then, I'll find the barracks around here sometime later then. I'm not gonna get shanked, am I?" I tack on a joke at the end to still my beating heart, though the captain doesnt share any reaction to it, merely bringing his arm forward with a pouch within his grasp.

"Payment for your services, I'll see you soon." I take the pouch from his hands, the sack only barely dropping into my palm before he twists and marches off, his cape billowing in the soft breeze while he marches out of the door. The murmuring of the inn rises once more with his departure, back to what I assume to be it's normal noise.

"...Huh, is he normally that blunt?" I quiz aloud while I rummage through the pouch, examining it's gold, twenty-ish silver, I think I'm counting all that right, I still have no idea what the actual value of money is here. I swear Valerie was gonna have a heart attack when I offered two gold for Mabel. Ich, just thinking about that still rubs me the wrong way.

"Uncle is a very straight forward man, being a captain is a busy job after all." Edward answers simply, idly tapping his fingers on the wood. Silence falls upon the table soon after, an almost awkward feeling one at that, this conversation went dead pretty quickly.

**You're all so awkward, it's awful.**

"So uh, do you guys wanna get some food?" I pipe up to break the lull, looking between the two of them. It seems to do a well enough job, Edward humming to himself as Lucy leans forward, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Oh fuuuuuuuuuzzy, can yo-"

"I'm not paying for you." I cut her question short, the girl huffing and pouting in response. She turns to Edward, the man raising an eyebrow to her.

"Edwaaaa-"

"You're getting nothing from me, Lucy." He interrupts her as swiftly as I do, snickering to myself as she groans aloud again, crossing her arms with another heated huff.

"Both of ya are insensitive _jerks_." She mutters aloud as she pouts, a smug feeling of self satisfaction running through my chest.

"I'm the only one that Edward would pay for on a date out, anyways." Lucy's face lights up with a devious little grin, looking over to Edward as he groans, planting his face into the wooden table. The scrolls beside him trembles and shudders with the impact, a mirthful laughing spewing out of my chest, his embarrassment is fucking _hilarious_.

I give Mabel another glance, a confused but otherwise unperturbed look on her face, it brings a feeling of warmth in my chest. She hums out loud as I reach over to her, the girl nudging her head into my awaiting hand with a purr, a feeling of glee bouncing around in my chest as I look to the other two.

This… this feels nice, really nice, like an outing with some friends. I think this is the first time I've done this with more than just Edward, too. It feels strange at the same time, too, why do I care about these people so much when I haven't spent _that _long with them? Is it just my head trying to latch onto someone close, for companionship of some kind with someone other than myself?

**You got a few screws loose, so who knows. If you **_**really **_**want to take care of these schmucks, then you better keep an eye out instead of flaffing about.**

I gently feel my hands clench around Mabels head, digging it into her fur even further, though I try to disguise it as a patting. She doesn't seem to notice, shuffling the stool closer to me in return. I won't let anything happen to you three, I promise, I stake my head on it.


	45. Chapter 45

"Bringing round some _more _friends, huh kid? I'm proud of ya luv, Masks know you need some of those~" A silken teasing voice brings me out of my thoughts, one of the red haired bartenders dainty looking hands clasped on the guardsmans shoulder, a teasing glint dancing behind her ruby red eyes, the lady giggling as Edward continues to pound his face against the wood. I can't exactly stifle a chuckle, it's enjoyable to see someone get under his skin, here's hoping that he doesn't get a headache from it.

"Your names Zeke right? It's been a while since I've seen ya around here, have you been keeping an eye on little Edward here?" I feel a cold sweat bead on my forehead as she stares into me, rubbing the back of my neck as a few _choice _memories dance at the forefront of my mind. I'm surprised she remembered my name, god knows that I can't remember hers for shit.

**Hah, if only she knew.**

"It's been a bit of a back and forth, I'm not gonna say much otherwise." I finally respond to her questioning with a more…. deliberate tone sounding than I really wanted, along with a shrug. The lady smiles and chuckles, squeezing Edwards shoulder before standing upright, smoothing out her plain looking dress.

"Well, I ain't gonna pry too much then, I'll let you kids be kids. Poor little Eddy seems a little bit _too _flustered for now, care to introduce me to your friends?" She looks down to me expectantly, a polite little smile on her face. Edward's still smothering his face into the cold wood it seems, his mumbling barely audible over the murmuring of the inn itself. How odd, I didn't think he'd be _this _riled up by all that, maybe he's a little bit stressed right now? Can't say that playing messenger would be enjoyable.

"Well, the little lady to your right is Lucy, she's been tagging along with us since… Wreathwood right? Can't remember the name very well." I jab a thumb towards the miniature mage herself, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face as she gives the lady a wave before placing her hands in her lap.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ma'am." She says with the tilt of her head, a shiver running up my spine as her smile widens ever so slightly, she seems oddly formal. Ich, that charming little smile of hers rubs me the wrong way, it just seems unnatural coming from her. The lady doesn't seem to give any indication that she's put off by the display, it's not like she knows about the girls oddity, or maybe she's just being polite in returning the smile.

"What a polite young girl, it's a pleasure to meet you too deary! My name's Lyn, I sure hope you haven't been too bothered by these two." She responds with that kind and silky voice of hers, dipping her head to bow in return. My sight can't help but linger on her for a moment, her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes, but it doesn't seem to be completely doctored by any means, maybe I'm just over reacting a little bit too much?

I look down to the wood as I him, fingers tapping at it, it's not as if she's malicious by any means, just strange. At least they introduced each other, I have _no _idea what her name was, it's a nice little name though. A soft cough brings me out of my thoughts again, blinking and shaking myself to attention once more. Right, I'm talking to people, I somehow manage to forget about that.

"And who's she, hm? Can't say I expected a little fox to be around you all." A coy little smirk appears on her face as she points a finger to Mabel, a squeak of surprise coming from the soft fox as she shuffles away, it almost looks like she's trying to hide herself in my cloak. I feel the bartender's gaze turn to me, the feeling of embarrassment welling up in my chest as I bite the insides of my cheek, a hand rubbing at the nape of my neck.

**Hurry up and spit it out for fucks sake, it's not as if its taboo or anything**

Shh, it still feels weird to talk about to people who at least somewhat know me dammit, let alone someone I've met _once_. It might just take some finesse is all, just try to say something with some tact instead of spewing out some stuttering garbage to excuse yourself.

"Fuzzy bought her!" I choke on the building spit in my throat as Lucy pipes up with a chirp, my response dying in my throat mid coughing fit, a twinge of anger flashing in my chest as I give the bastard a glare.

"Lucy!" I hiss to the girl harshly, a sneer forming on my face as she looks back to me with a smug little grin and a shrug.

"Whaaaat?" She says in response, her hand raised in the air in a mock surrender. I can feel my snarl drop to an embarrassed smile as I hear the lady hum, looking down to me with a stare.

"Is that so, Zeke? I didn't think you'd be the type of man to own a slave." She speaks slowly, deliberately, the intensity of her stare only intensifying as she plants a hand on her hips. There's an odd looking emotion behind those red eyes of hers, a look of surprise does little to hide the judging look in her eyes, along with … disappointed look beside it, her teasing smirk looking a bit more forced than before. I purse my own lips together as I clasp my hands together, wringing the both of them together as I feel my throat clog up. Fuck, I feel like I'm being chastised, she hasn't even said a word of how she feels about it just yet, but she's looking into my fucking _soul _dammit.

"It's not, ah.." The clogging in my throat flares up, constricting my throat and cutting off my stammering. Coughing into my hand does little to abate the feeling, and I can almost see the glowering look that hides behind her face.

**Hurry up and spit it out you waste of skin.**

I'm trying you fuck! It's just difficult god dammit, give me a moment.

**You've said it plenty of times, get your emotions in check.**

I take in a deep breath of air, as deep as I can anyways, the wringing of my hands dying down along with the steady rising of my beating hand, laying my hands flat on the table. I don't want to be distracted, it's not that hard, it shouldn't be anyways.

"I bought her for a reason, Miss. It'd be better than the alternative." I finally answer her, returning her glare with a wavering stare of my own. It's difficult to look her in the eyes, the nerves in my limbs jumping around as if set alight, especially as she furrows her brows, squinting while she hums.

**Jesus Christ you're gonna give the both of us a heart attack, can you cool the fuck off?**

I can't help it dammit! I can _feel _the cold judgement that emanates from the lady, the fire behind those ruby red eyes of hers, what's she gonna do? Is she gonna yell at me, scold me? The blood in my veins pump with a renewed fervour as my mind turns towards Mabel, is she gonna take her away from m-

"Alright luv, I'll believe ya. I'm sure you got your reasons." She finally says with a shrug, the judging look on her face falling away from it in the blink of an eye. The building rush of adrenaline and worry in my veins falling limp. I uh, okay then, I can't help but feel _really _fucking confused.

"Is that, uh, all?" I ask inquisitively as I tilt my head, tapping my fingers against the table. I can't actually believe that's _all _she was gonna do, I just expected more to happen.

**Paranoid bastard, slavery's fucking **_**legal **_**here, you got yourself worked up over nothing **_**again**_**.**

"Of course kid, I just didn't expect _you _to buy a slave is all. I can't imagine that you're gonna treat her poorly, right kid~?" A flare of anger ignites in my chest as she verbally jabs me, a small and innocent smile on her face. I try to smother that feeling as best as I can though, it's not as if she means it in a _serious _way, it's just some teasing is all. Tsk, I guess it's still a bit of a soft spot.

**This entire scene is pathetic, honestly. **

Lovely commentary as always Adrian, you're my favourite voice in my head.

"Naturally, miss." I respond to her after a moment, keeping my voice as level as possible as the head in my chest dies down. Tsk, paranoid over useless things and defensive with people who mean no harm, fantastic.

"Well, I best be off for now, I got work to do and everything. If you four have anything to order, just try to catch my attention." She gives the lot of us a final giggle and a wink before waltzing off, back to work she goes. I can't help but feel a niggling scratch in the back of my brain though, I feel like I've forgotten _something_, though I can't recall what. Maybe I should try to keep my nerves under control sometime,

**It's probably not **_**that **_**important. **

You saying _that_ just makes me want to remember it _more_, I imagine that you're aware of that. I raise an eyebrow as the previously silent mound of steel begins to mumble, a dazed and tired look on his face as he plants his chin atop his arm . Doesn't look like the most relaxing place, using ones armour as a pillow doesn't exactly seem enjoyable.

" You feeling okay Edhead? You didn't exactly talk much during that whole shitfest." I ask the tired looking man, a hand slipping from his gauntlet before rubbing his eyes.

"I'm tired, and I need a fucking _drink_."

"It's barely mid morning, Edward."

"So? Dealing with the lot of you gives me a headache."

"How does alcohol help you deal with that?" I raise an eyebrow to the slumped over man, his hand rubbing his chin while he hums, it looks like it's just a show of him being deep in thought more than anything.

"It helps with drowning you out, do you guys have an idea on what you're gonna get or not?"

"What can you even _get _here anyways? Is there like, a menu or something?" I purse my lips together and hum as Lucy speaks, my fingers tapping against my cheek. That's uh, a good question actually.

"..I'm not really sure to be honest, I just kinda winged it, you can get meat? That's pretty nice." I respond to her inquiry as best as I can with a shrug. An amused sounding huff comes from Edward while he raises an eyebrow.

"Did you put in _any _thought on what you wanted to get on your way here?"

"Nope." I pop the 'p' at the end of that simple answer, snickering to myself as Edwards hand runs down his face.

"You're fucking hopeless, at least with Lucy here I can kind of understand, but you've _been _here before."

"I have an awful memory, don't judge me," He groans aloud before mashing his face back into the wood. I can't help but worry now, though. "Are you okay Edward?"

He remains silent for a moment, running his bare hand through his hair as he sighs, bringing his head back up to light. Maybe I'm just imagining it, but he seems rather, I dunno, torn on something, he's distracted by something, I wonder what.

**You could **_**always **_**just **_**ask **_**him, you dolt, how is it that you somehow manage to pussyfoot these situations so much?**

Maybe later, when we're not in public, I don't exactly want him to spill his guts when he isn't comfortable.

**Bah, sometimes I wish that I had my own body so I didn't have to listen to this shit. **

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just have a bit on my mind. I might talk to you later about it, just not right now." He finally replies dryly. I give the man a nod and a smile, it's something that he seems to appreciate just a little bit, judging from the ghost of a smile that brushes past his face.

"I won't push for it then, whenever you're ready." I say simply, the topic dying along with those words. At least he looks a bit better, if only marginally so, he doesn't seem as lethargic as before.

**It's not the first time he's staved you off with 'I'll tell you about it later' either, I'm dreading having to sit along with that discussion.**

What do you want me to do? Try to pry into his personal shit again? I pushed too far once, I'm not gonna do that again. I'll do what I need to do, anything to help the man.

"Hey Fuzz, can I ask you a quick question?" My ears flicker as he speaks, bringing my attention from the depths of my mind and back to him again.

"Sure thing, shoot your shot."

"Why did you bring a kid to an inn?" I throw my hands in the air as he questions me, ignoring the childish giggling from lucy as best I can, an inquisitive humming coming from the child in question.

"God fucking dammit, I didn't know where else to bring her, I don't just want to leave her alone or anything. Besides, Lyn didn't say anything about it." I feel a vein pulsate in my skull as I huff, resting my chin on a palm, my fingers drumming against my cheek with a fervour. Jesus Christ, now that question's just getting on my fucking nerves. Edward chuckles while he holds his hands up, a mocking act of surrender not dissimilar from Lucy.

"Alright alright, just wondering is all." He says with a small smile on his face, the sides of his lips curling up further as I mumble under my breath. Why am I being jabbed at for now, am I the designated punching bag? At least it's just my pride.

**Whatever pride you may have left, anyways. **

"Can you call Lyn back? We'll just wing the order." I grumble aloud, huffing as he snickers. Bastard boy. I turn my attention to Mabel as he calls the lady over again, the girls been rather quiet for a while, her gaze looking towards the floor. It doesn't look like she's paying much attention, not that I can really fault her. I did drag her here.

"Hey kid, are you feeling okay?" She jolts in surprise, the girl squeaking as she looks up to me with the tilt of her head.

"Mn? Wha?" I can't help but smile a little bit at her confused look, her eyes squinting as I plant my hand on her head, ruffling her hair softly.

"Are you feeling okay? I don't want you to be stuck feeling bad or anything." I reiterate to her, nice and slowly, my digits digging behind her ears for a brief moment before pulling away. She squeaks again while her ears flicker, shuffling in her seat. God bless this kid.

"I'm okay, thank you." She says simply, looking up to me with a bright little grin on her face. God, I can fucking _feel _my heart melting from the sight of it, my hands returning to her head to give her another ruffling.

"Okay, if you ever need something, _please _speak up, okay?" I say to the kid, I can't tell if her fervorous nodding is an answer to the question, or just her trying to nestle into my hand, but I'll take it as a yes. Or at least, I hope she means it as a yes, I want to help her as best as I can.

**Pfah, and I thought that you being stupidly angsty over the chick asking you about the kid was a pathetic scene, this just makes me wanna **_**violently retch**_**.**

Come on Adrian, she's a cute kid, a good one too. My mind wanders as my hand falls from her head, her noise of displeasure ringing in my mind. God dammit, I still need to visit Anna today won't I? She looked pretty unhappy to see me go last time, and I can't imagine she'd be filled with joy to see me carrying along a fucking _slave_, she doesn't look like the type of person who enjoys such a thing.

That reminds me, hey Adrian, what's your thoughts on Anna?

**...something about her rubs me the wrong way, despite the visage of an old lady, she still seems plenty strong enough to hold her own. I'd rather you not fuck this up and get on her bad side. I feel somewhat slighted that I'm intimidated by a fucking old lady, but better safe than sorry.**

That's something we can agree on, then. I can't imagine someone becoming a Templar without having some degree of combat prowess, in spite of her probable old age.

"So luvs, ready to order?" Lyn's cheerful silky voice brings me into reality again, a bright and lovely smile on her face.

Fuck, I still don't know what I actually wanna get. At least I can just get Mabel a hunk of meat, she doesn't seem picky, and I've got more than enough money to spare.

….

"Fwah, you guys have _no _idea how nice it is to eat somewhere without the stench of fish up ya nose every second." The clattering of Lucy's fork onto her plate is barely audible over the murmuring of the inn, a content looking smile on her face as she leans backwards into her chair. Far more people have waltzed into the inn now, the steady rise of people around here almost makes me feel unnerved, though there's some comfort in being around friends that alleviates the feeling.

"I don't see the problem personally, it didn't seem too bad." I chime in with a shrug, plate long since cleaned out. Whatever hunk of meat they slapped onto my plate tasted good enough despite my lack of hunger, the warmth from it resting in my stomach. Thankfully Mabel didn't tear into her raw hunk of meat like the last time, biting and swallowing it down in a more conservative manner. That's something I'm thankful for, I don't think that I could clean the blood out of my cloak very easily.

"Bah, every time I end up down there, however little I spend, I have to take a _long _fucking time to clean myself afterwards. Don't you basitins have a better sense of smell or some shit? I have no idea how you can stand the reek of fish." Edward pipes up before throwing his head back, the mug of ale travelling down his gullet with an obnoxious gulping sound, letting out a sigh of relief as he drops the now empty mug beside another one. The brown brew that once sloshed within the mugs didn't last very long, I find it odd that he didn't grab any food, but I can't exactly force the man to eat. I hope that he gets _something _at least.

"Hell if I know, it's not like there's much to read up on with my species." I reply with a shrug. Seriously, there's fuck all about basitins in the books that I've read, plenty on keidrans and humans though, but that's to be expected. I can't see why they'd dislike the smell though, the smell of the sea is something that I remember rather fondly from there, it smelt nice and relaxing. Maybe I should return there someday, if only to waltz around for a while, perhaps I could visit Eric again?

**Can't believe you enjoy the smell of brine, Jesus Christ you're weird. And you say that, but **_**I **_**think that you'd just want to see that Kathrin once again, wouldn't you?**

Bah, don't throw that on me, she's just a very nice girl is all. I felt sorry for her, still do, unrequited love doesn't seem particularly enjoyable. She's a strange girl though, I've not a clue on what type of keidran she is, perhaps there's more like her around here, or deeper into their territory? Maybe I could find Mabel's family? Would that be possible, maybe I should consult that map of mine before I try to go anywhere, just in case. It'd be a smarter idea to do that before anything else really.

**Oh no no no, don't you even fucking dare try to put that awful sounding scheme into motion, let it be nothing more than just an idea, I'd rather you **_**not **_**try to risk your hide and throw away your life, and mine with it, which is the important part. Our time with keidran has been far from pleasant after all, and that's within **_**human **_**lands, trespassing on their own lands would do nothing but draw their ire. Stop trying to stick your neck out for others and just focus on yourself for a change, least of all for the fucking **_**kid**_**.**

Bah, I can very damn well handle myself, I'd like to hope that they'd have the capability to care for another one of their race. Hm, perhaps less so with the forest wolves, I recall them having issues with the other keidran races, I wonder why?

**Are you paying any attention to me or not? You hopeless little bastard. **

Hey, it's not as if I'm planning on trying to waltz through the keidran territory right _now_, it's an idea for the future is all. I hum to myself as a bickering between the two humans of the table brings me out of my thoughts, it doesn't sound like it's a very serious argument though, a teasing one about Lucy trying to get Edward to pay for her. Huh, how long has that been going on? It's rather easy to get lost in my thoughts, I suppose, especially when I'm chatting with Adrian. I don't expect Edward to cave and pay for her, personally. A small squeak grabs my attention from the two, gazing over to the kid, her maw open mid yawn as she stretches.

"Tired, kid?" I say softly to her, the girl doesn't respond verbally, half lidded eyes looking to me as she hums, nodding softly. I guess she didn't get a good nights sleep last night, I can't really fault her for that, poor girl. "I know somewhere where you can stay, though, with a proper bed and everything."

That certainly grabs her attention, her ears flickering slightly as she shuffles in her seat, sitting upright ever so slightly. I can't help but chuckle a little, a small smile making its way to my face.

"Really?" She sounds cautiously optimistic, her head tilting as she stares at me. There's a small smile on her face, it looks almost hopeful. For some reason, my heart feels heavy as I look down to her, a kid that has to be wary about having a bed to sleep in rubs me the wrong way.

"Yeah, I think you'll like the lady that lives there too, she's a nice person. She's human, though, but I _promise _she's a good person." I say in response, she looks somewhat downtrodden by that, the smile on her face falling for a moment as she shuffles in her seat. I won't force her to stay there, this is an _inn _after all, there's probably roo-

"Okay." I can't help but blink in surprise as she speaks up, a strangely resolute tone in her voice and stare. I'm actually surprised she'll be okay with it, but I can't help but feel proud for her. My smile comes back in full force as I ruffle her head with a hand, a happy sounding purring from her. I guess we'll see how she reacts when she gets there, but fuck, I'm proud dammit!

**Fuck, you're a sappy bastard aren't you? Get over yourself.**

Don't kill the mood, Adrian. Whatever steps she may take to beat her fears, I'll help her with.

"Hey luvs, you all finished?" A familiar voice yanks me from my musings, Lyn standing upright beside our table. Fuck, now that she's standing in front of me, I _know _that I forgot something important. I wish my memory wasn't complete and utter garbage.

"Yeah yeah, we're done here Lyn." Edward replies with a wave, grabbing the emptied mugs and handing it over to her, grumbling to himself as he rummages through his pouch. I raise an eyebrow as I collect Mabels plate, passing them over to Lucy, who hands the collective to Lyn, a smug smile on her face with a delight that dances behind her eyes. No fucking way, did he _actually _cave to her? Huh, maybe I should've paid attention to the argument, could just be that he's tipsy from the ale I guess.

"Awh, here I thought you could handle your liquor hun~" She teases the slightly inebriated man with a smile and a wink, Edward groaning in response as he stands upright and shuffles past her, mumbling under his breath as he makes his way to the bar, I assume that's to pay for the two of them. I sure hope he isn't paying for me, I can do that just fine. I give Lucy a questioning glance with a raised brow, the girls only response to smile smugly and giggle, I guess that's as much as I can expect from her.

"Do you three need anything else?" She questions aloud, her eyes dancing between the three of us. Lucy shakes her head before jumping up, waltzing over to Edward with a skip in her step. I hum and rub the back of my neck, squinting my eyes as I look away from Lyn. The niggling that scratches at the base of my skulls been reignited, I swear to fuck I'm forgetting something important.

Ah fuck, that's right!

"I actually have something to ask of you, Lyn, if you care to hear it." That certainly gets her attention, a small lopsided smile on her face as she looks down to me.

"Oh? And what would that be, luv?"

"Well, I ran into Felicity today, funnily enough."

"Oh dear, she didn't give you a hard time, did she?"

"No, actually. Well, it was a bit of a mess initially, but we sorted it out eventually. I uh, might've promised to talk to you about letting Mabel here spend some time with her later on, I'm trying to help ease her into being around humans some more. I also might want her to have some friends her age, or at least about her age, keidran ages are fucky and weird." I blurt out the last bit of that request a bit too quickly for my taste, I can feel my cheeks burn as she giggles aloud, a gentle smile on her face.

"Awh, now aren't you just an _adorable_ kid! I'll talk to Cleon about it tight first, but I'd personally enjoy it! If that's all you need though, I best be off." I smother a huff and nod instead, drumming my thumbs against the table. God dammit, I'm _not _a kid.

**I've no clue how **_**that's **_**what you grabbed from that answer, but well done. Can we pay and leave now? This place is getting crowded enough. **

Something that we can agree on, then. I stand upright and make my way to the bar itself, motioning to Mabel to join me. She clings to my side as we waltz there, Lucy and Edward already lone gone from this place. I can't help but grimace a little, if there were any more people in here I'd feel constricted. The toastiness of this place doesn't exactly do me any favours, too.

"Hey, I'm uh, here to pay for some food that I had." I say awkwardly to the elder bartender, her eyes squinting as she looks at me. She seems somewhat put off initially, her wrinkled face contorted in thought.

"Right, yer the furred ones. Ten silver." She speaks shortly with a detached and lazy tone, idly rubbing down a mug. I scramble through my back and grasp at a pouch, bringing it up and digging my hands into it, rummaging around and handing over the requested silver. She takes it with a grunt, tossing it into her pockets and her back to me. Not exactly the most social bartender, is she? I'll have to go through whatever coins I have some time soon.

I rest my hand atop Mabels head and guide the both of us out of the inn, my ears flattening as the cacophonous noise from the other patrons rises, breathing a sigh of relief as I shove the door open. Cool air washes over me, free of the scent of man and alcohol thankfully, a smile making its way on my face. Thank fucking god I'm out of there, I felt like I was gonna choke on the stench. I bring us both down the steps, looking around for the other two. Eh? Where'd they go?

It doesn't take too long to catch the sight of Edwards armour at least, gleaming in the sunlight as he marches down the road, Lucy skipping beside and around him. Huh, I can't say that I expected her to follow the man, how strange. I shrug, at least he's having someone else keep him company.

"You ready kid?" I ask the girl as I look down to her, hand still resting on top of her head. She nods in response, a small smile on her face as she keeps to my side. I give her a nod in response and begin the march out of town.

The walk to Annas home is free of action, thankfully, a comfortable silence reigns between the two of us as we make our way there. I keep a close eye on her as we walk, just to check on her, to see if there's any discomfort while she's walking. Maybe I'm a tad worried about her, perhaps needlessly so, but still.

**Come on, she's undoubtedly been through worse, she's not gonna break because she's **_**walking**_**, chill your shit for once. **

I sigh to myself and rub at my face with a hand, directing my attention to elsewhere, observing the nature that surrounds us as we make our way down the dirt path. You're right, I _know _you're right, but I still can't help but worry. Oddly enough, Adrian doesn't respond with anything beyond a cynical grumbling. Was he surprised that I agreed with him in this case or something?

We move down the miniature hill, there's a strange feeling that stirs in my chest as I look down to the clean little cottage, a mix between excitement and restlessness. I feel like it's been a long time since I've been back here, how is Anna doing? Is she okay? Would she mind me, well, _having _Mabel?

**There's only one way to find out. **

It feels odd that Adrian seems somewhat supportive, but it brings a determined feeling into my chest, something that I appreciate now that I stand in front of the wooden door to her house. I hold up my hand and hesitate for a moment, a shiver running up my spine as I wrap my knuckles against the door. There's a small shout that comes from inside, one of acknowledgement that drives itself into my heart, my spare hand forming and unforming a fist as I wait for the inevitable.

The door swings open slowly, deep blue eyes stare into mine as she stands in front of me, clad in familiar plain clothes. I smile awkwardly, examining her face ever so closely, she almost looks… older than I remember, did her eyes always have such prominent crows feet? Was she always so small? Did some of that come from stress, because of me?

"Hey, Anna." I choke out with that smile, giving her a small wave with a free hand. "I told you I'd be safe."

Not entirely true, but she doesn't need to know that, does she? A grunt forces itself from my chest as she suddenly encompasses me in a hug, squeezing around my chest. A sad smile forces itself on my face as I return the hug with my spare arm, squeezing lightly. She holds onto me for a moment before pulling away, her lips curled up into a smile. To my surprise, that smile still holds as she looks down to Mabel, the girl nudging her way behind my leg, although it takes a bit of a sader tone.

"I'm glad you're safe, dear Zeke. Perhaps it'd be best to talk about all this over a cup of tea?" She looks back up to me as she asks, but it doesn't exactly seem like a request that I can refuse. I nod, of course I'd join her! Her smile widens as she steps back into the house, freeing the way inside.

I swallow the spittle that's built itself in my throat, looking down to check on Mabel again. There's an anxious look on her face, but she doesn't shy away from the door, even as I guide the both of us inside.

Welcome back, Zeke.


	46. Chapter 46

It feels strange to be back in this room with Anna, the old lady's back turned to us as she fusses with the kettle, steam streaming from the spout, the clattering sound of her fiddling with tea cups mixing alongside the sound of the steam as it fills the room. There's a strange smell that seems to imbue itself in the wind that carries itself through the house, a scent that seems to mellow the anxious beating of my heart, it almost smells like lavender, but I'm not quite sure. Everything looks just how I remember it too, from what little I can gather from my mind, a quaint little room for a quaint little cottage for an old little lady. I shuffle in my seat for a moment, tapping my bare fingers against the wooden table as the almost awkward atmosphere stifles my throat. I shoved my gloves into my bag a while ago, I can't imagine that it'd be comfortable trying to slip my finger into one of those handles with it on.

Jesus, if this is uncomfortable for _me_, then I can't imagine how Mabel feels at the moment, probably feels a bit more uncomfortable than myself. I spare a glance over to the girl, her hands laid in her lap while her legs dangle from the chair itself, still wearing the cloak of mine over her miniature form, it almost looks like she's resisting the urge to withdraw herself back into the depths of the cloak itself if I'm gonna be honest to myself. It's not like I can't fault her for that, either, at least we're not surrounded by humans.

She squeaks aloud as I plant my hand on top of her head, the stiffness that latches onto her body seems to dissipate somewhat as she presses into my hand with a pur. The corner of my lips twitch upwards with her catlike noises, it's an endearing little thing to hear from her, I'd rather hear that over her whimpering and scared little noises. Maybe that's why I keep her so close, something to distract her mind from being the scared child that she is, a respite from the anxious plague that clings to her mind. I can't help but wonder _why _that's how it is, why she clings to me so much, and why I do the same to her too. I _really _hope she doesn't take after me in any sense, I can't see myself as a good role model for a child, let alone _her _specifically, but if this helps soothe her mind for even a moment, then who am I to deny it? I prefer this over the alternative, at least, my pride for her doesn't mean I should neglect her limits.

**How the fuck you manage to have this kid still stuck on your mind is beyond me, I'm stuck sitting here to listen along with your thoughts, it almost sickens me to my non existent core. **

Can't say that I know why for certain, aren't you meant to be some part of me that knows how I feel and shit? Shouldn't you know _why _it's how it is? You're doing a pretty poor job of digging into my skull, if you ask me. I can't help but snicker a little bit internally as I hear the doppelganger grumble inside my skull, a delightful flickering igniting in my chest as the girl yawns out loud. Ah fuck, she sounds pretty tired, thank god shes got a bed for tonight.

**Pfeh, how the fuck do you think I feel? I know how you're meant to be feeling, and how you're meant to act, but often times you just do something **_**completely **_**fucking ridiculous, it's infuriating and it's entirely you. There's some things that I can catch, thank fuck, at least some part of you wants to make sense. **

Maybe I should try to find more ways to fuck with you, it's incredibly amusing. A clattering noise brings me out of my internal muttering, sadly, my ears flickering upwards as a porcelain saucer and cup is placed in front of me, steam emanating from the golden brown liquid. Ah, right, tea and shit, I forgot about that.

"Uh, thanks for the drink, Anna." I mumble out awkwardly as I pull away from the kid, looping my finger into the handle and bringing upwards. I blow on it for a moment before taking a sip, a sweet taste dripping down my throat and into my stomach. Fuck, I missed tea, god bless you Anna. I raise an eyebrow as Mabel tilts her head, shuffling closer to look down into her own cup, a familiar brown liquid inside.

"Is that safe for her to drink?" I question Anna aloud as I lean back into my chair, a nervous feeling imbued in my senses despite the soothing tea. _Can _they drink tea?

"Of course, keidran biology may differ from humans, and basitins, a little bit, but tea wouldn't cause any issues." She answers slowly, sipping down her tea in the meanwhile. I still feel sceptical about it, my muscles tensing as Mabel raises the tea cup to her lips. It takes a moment for her to react, but it's a sweet little reaction, her lips curled into a small smile as she continues to drink it down. I can't help but wonder, though, how the fuck does keidran react to milk anyways? I guess it's not of any real concern, but I'll keep it in mind, just in case. I drum my fingers against the table and continue to down the tea, a part of me hopes that the soothing warm sensation of the tea itself would wash down the choking feeling in my throat, but to no avail. Tsk, why the fuck do I feel so _awkward._

"Perhaps it might be best for you to fill me in on what's happened recently, dear." I feel myself almost jolt in surprise as she speaks up, peering into me with piercing blue eyes over her cup, still drinking from it. I chuckle awkwardly as I put my cup down, rubbing at the back of my neck.

"It's, heh, kind of long story…" I manage to stiffly force that response out of my throat at least, giving her an awkward feeling smile as she continues to stare at me. Bah, why do I feel like I'm treading on eggshells here? I'm sure that it's all gonna be just fine, but the thought of her disapproving of me feels… worrying, I suppose.

"I've spent plenty of my life waiting and listening dear, this will be no different." She responds cooly as she puts her own cup down, clattering lightly against the saucer. I sigh to myself and rub at my eyes, I can't exactly run from this conversation can I? Gotta face the music some time.

I still can't help but feel awkward as I fill her in on _why_ I have a keidran glued to my hip, and the unwavering stare she's giving me doesn't exactly do me any favours. Thankfully she doesn't interrupt the information dump or anything, merely bringing the cup to her lips to take another sip from the damned thing. My throat feels borderline clogged with spittle as I finished the story, downing down as much as the still scalding tea as I can, doesn't do much to remove the feeling though. Man, I haven't even told her about what _else _has happened since I fucked off from here, that's gonna be _so much fun_.

**And now our throat's burning, good going you little bastard. **

It's the thought that counts.

**Do you manage to think at all?**

Sometimes too much, sometimes not at all, you already know that.

**Much to my displeasure. **

A jolt of energy rushes through my veins as Anna sighs aloud, raising a hand to her temple and pressing her fingers against it.

"By the bloody Masks, kid. I spend the last week worrying my ass off for you, and _this _is what you've been up to?" My ears flatten against my neck while I whimper, my tail wrapping around my chair as I wrap my hand around the comparatively tiny cup, looking away from the stressed sounding woman. Shit, turns out being scolded kind of feels like shit, who'd have thought that? My ears flicker upwards as she laughs softly, my gaze returning to her for a moment as I tilt my head. "...Despite that, I'm not as surprised as I should be, seeing that you've done something so _ludicrous sounding_, dear."

"Hey, what does that mean?" I huff to myself as she answers with another chuckle, the edges of my lips creeping upwards as she laughs, the tension in my muscles fading away slowly. Okay, she doesn't sound _too _mad at least.

"Don't worry your little head about that, kid. What do you plan to do with the girl anyhow? Are you sure that you've made the right choice?" I shuffle in my seat as she pries into me, an almost delighted look in her eyes gives me some solace in what her potential intentions are.

"I'm ah, not really good at planning, not at all. I have _ideas _on what I wanna do _sometime _in the future, but I don't think that makes it much of a real plan. As for making the right choice… I dunno, I've done a lot of thinking about that, never seem to do any good, and just makes me more confused. I dunno if that means that it's the right choice in the end, but it feels like the right enough choice for now." I answer her little interrogation as best as I can, the words that spew from my mouth feels like they're a disjointed mess of an excuse, but it's the best I can do. Anna hums to herself, taking another sip of her tea as I spare a glance over to Mabel herself. She seems… rather calm for now, the small smile that comes from the normally meek child is relaxed and thankful, my heart tensing for a moment as she bares a grin to me. Ah, fuck, I feel my heart collapsing already. A welcoming end to this life if nothing else.

"I see, very well then. What do you think of Zeke here, little Mabel?" The girls ears point upwards as Anna speaks to her, the girl seems a bit surprised by the sudden question, her clasped hands wringing together nervously.

"..I like Zeke, he's nice, he gives me food and tries to keep me comfortable. He keeps the bad dreams away at night, he's good." I blink in surprise as she speaks, a small smile on her face as her nervous motions die down, her hands resting in her lap with a surprising stillness. I cant help but feel somewhat embarrassed as I feel Annas continuous staring, it doesn't stop the growing pride that wells in my chest though. I'm surprised that she was so open to speaking, too, did it have something to do with the drink Anna gave her? Despite that, I'm proud that she could answer her, it doesn't seem like she forced herself to do it, either.

"Hm, it seems that you've left quite an impression on her, dear," I let out an awkward feeling laugh as she speaks to me, her eyebrow raised as I rub at the back of my neck. She chuckles to herself once more, cup raised to her hips as she downs the rest of her tea before standing up, waltzing over to me. I shuffle in my seat as she loops her arms around my neck, her head resting atop mine as she lets out a tired sounding sigh, squeezing lightly. "You're a bit of a dumb kid, that much I'll say, but you got some heart."

"Fantastic, thanks Anna." I say with a sigh, sarcasm dripping off of my tongue even as I smile, the old lady chuckling as she continues to squeeze around my neck. There's not much I can do to reciprocate the 'hug', but it's not as if I'm gonna push her away, the warmth in my chest feels similar to a warm blanket. I let out a steady breath of air and press my head against Anna, my ears flickering against her neck, my eyes closing ever so slightly. This, this feels kind of comfortable actually, I haven't felt this in a while.

**Old lady's probably had a heart attack of you ditching her, to be fair. I'm just glad that you didn't fuck this up and somehow manage to piss her off.**

And just like that, the magic of this situation is now fucked, thanks Adrian.

**Any time, my favourite waste of skin. **

"Alright alright, get off of me," I try to shrug the woman off of my shoulders as gently as I can, Anna letting go after a moment, chuckling all the while. I wince and rub at my throat lightly, a soft pang of pain emanating from it, I think she might've squeezed a little bit too hard, nothing I can't deal with. I guess she might've just been a _little _bit worried. "You know I'm not a kid, I can handle myself in the big bad world."

"And that's something you've yet to tell me, dear, what _else _have you gotten into since you've left? Something tells me that you've managed to get into trouble, despite what you've said." I purse my lips together as she plants her hands on her hips, balled into fists as she looks down to me. Huh, I kind of walked into that one, didn't I?

"And what gives you that idea, miss Anna?"

"Call it intuition, kid, I've met kids who were far rowdier than you are."

"I feel somewhat slighted by that, don't you think that might just be your old age coming into play, muddling your mind just a little bit?" I let out a pained yelp as she pinches my ear, wincing as she raises it upwards, held tightly between two fingers. Son of a bitch, that fucking hurts!

**God fucking dammit Zeke, our ears are sensitive, you little bastard. **

"Do you think at all, kid?" I let out a pained hiss as she tugs at my ear again, scolding me in the meanwhile, my hand tapping at her wrist.

"Son of a fucking bitch, let me go woman!"

"Shh! Don't swear in front of the kid, what's wrong with you? Should I wash your mouth out with soap?"

"You don't have to wash shit, let go of me god dammit! Stop touching my fucking ears!" A giggling cuts off the little back and forth between us both, twisting my neck to face Mabel. Her hands are held to her face, poorly covering her mouth as she devolves into a giggling mess, the edges of her smile visible despite the attempts to cover it. I can't help but smile at the sight, something about the kid heaving a genuinely good time watching our shenanigans fills me with a strange.. feeling of joy I suppose, it doesn't feel like something I've experienced before, but I welcome it nonetheless. Annas grip on my ears seem to lessen as she chuckles alongside the girl, much to my pleasure, slowly sliding my ear from her grasp, gently rubbing it as I grumble, leaning back into the chair. Still hurt like a bitch, but at least it got the kid to laugh.

**Perhaps she finds your pain enjoyable? Before you get any ideas, please understand that it was a fucking joke, the last thing I want to feel is **_**more **_**pain because of your bad decisions.**

Her giggling dies down soon after, a loud yawn taking its place as she shudders, mumbling to herself as she looks to the both of us with half lidded eyes. I smile and reach over to her, softly ruffling her hair as she purrs aloud, pressing into my hand.

"You tired, kid?"I ask her softly, the girl nodding in response almost immediately, another yawn escaping her maw. I figured much, she seemed pretty tired earlier today, too. I turn to Anna for a moment, a wide smile on my face. "Hey, Annnnnaaaaa~"

"Hm, I should've assumed that you'd come back looking for a bed to sleep in," She says with a huff, crossing her arms as she looks down to me. "I just didn't think that you'd come along back here with a _child_."

"Hey, she could just take my old room here, if that's not already occupied I mean."

"And where do you expect yourself to sleep, kid?"

"Eh, I can sleep anywhere, I'm not exactly picky. I've used a barrel as a pillow for fucks sake. Hell, I could just rent out a room if I'm intruding too much" Annas little glare makes me flinch for a moment, but it's intensity seems to dim as I continue to smile, the woman sighing and rubbing at her head.

"You're a bit of a bother, you know that kid? Don't worry about having to drag the child around, I've rooms to spare, for the both of you I might add. Poor girl looks like she's on the verge of passing out." I nod along with her, Mabels head _is _nodding off a little, and she's rather sluggish with her movements. The keidran lets out a surprise little squeak as I pick her up from the chair, carrying her frail and light little body in my arms, covered by purple and green cloth.

"Thank ya Anna!" I give her a smile and wink before waltzing away from the table, furrowing my brows as I look to the doors. Son of a bitch, which one was my old one again? All these doors look the same.

**First to your left, forgetful bastard.**

Ah, thanks Adrian! Your assistance is always welcomed.

"Hey, kid." Annas call brings me out of my thoughts, a hand of mine already gripping the handle as I twist my neck to face her, the gaze in her eyes looks conflicted, the look on her face strangely stern.

"What's up Anna? Everything okay?" I respond to her with a tilt of the head, a frown on my face, worry stirring throughout my chest. She's silent for a few moments, eyes closing shut as she sighs.

"I wish to talk to you about something, come next morn. I'd do it tonight, but there's things I have to prepare for other reasons, just thought I'd let you know. If you've anything else to do for tonight, just leave the door unlatched. There's little who come out to this place anyways, and if it's needed, I'm very well capable of defending the both of us until you return." She speaks with a cold and flat tone, her blue eyes seeming somewhat torn as she steps away, further down the hall. A chill runs up my spine as I purse my lips together, staring at her back before she disappears into a room. A concerned feeling stirs in my chest as I mull over her request, stepping into my old room and walking towards the bed. I'm really not sure how I'm meant to feel about that, there's an unease that seems to settle in my chest, even as I lower the girl onto the covers. What could she want, did something happen while I was gone? Is Anna okay?

"Zeke?" Mabels gentle voice brings me out of my brooding, shaking my head clear of those thoughts before resting a hand on her head, ruffling her fur softly.

"What's up kid, you okay?" I quietly question her as I run my hand through her hair, the corners of my lips twitching upwards as she smiles, a small squeak of a yawn forcing its way out of her maw.

"You're gonna come back, right..?" Her smile falls to a small frown, discontent and nervous even as she pushes against my hand. My digits gently dig into her fur, massaging her scalp as softly as I can, an attempt of some kind to comfort her.

"Of course kid, I promise you that much. I'll check on you when I get back, and I'll just be in the next room. If you need anything, just wake me up, okay?" She still frowns even as I try to comfort the girl, but doesn't seem _too_ unhappy at the very least, nodding in response. I step away from her as she pushes herself into a seating position, fumbling with the cord that holds the cloak together, eventually pulling it off of her miniature form and shoving it towards me.

"Here! It's, uhm, it's yours and all, I don't need it for now." I can't help but smile as she squeaks out those words, taking the cloak from her hands, a small smile on her face. I loop it around my neck and tie it all together, the familiar and welcoming weight pressing on my shoulders, a familiar feeling blanket around my body. I ruffle the girls hair as I gently press her back down onto the bed, dragging the blanket up and tucking her in, her head and purple scarf sticking out from the covers.

"I'll see you soon kid, I promise." The happy purring from her is as good an answer as any words, her eyes slowly closing, nestling into the pillow. I stand beside her for a moment before making my way out of the room, stepping on the wood as soft as I can, giving her a final glance before finally dipping out of the room. I let out a sigh as I lean back into the door, rubbing at my temple with a hand. Fuck, what did I need to do again? Go meet the captain around here, then come back and get a sleep, talk to Anna in the morning. That sounds about right, right?

**Said captain should be in wherever the barracks around here would be, obviously. Why do you feel so relieved to get this shitty cloak back? I can feel it in your heart, can't imagine why you're excited to wear this again, it smells of dirt and fox. **

It's not a shitty cloak, it's a comforting little thing that I enjoy wearing, like a comfort blanket. Besides, I can always wash the smell away.

**Pfeh, fucking weirdo. If you like this thing so much, why do you pass it off to the girl?**

If it helps her feel less nervous, then she needs it more than me. I shake my head and bring myself back to the real world, pushing myself off of the door and marching throughout the dining room. My gaze lingers on a glint of light from the lingering setting sun that leaks in through the windows, stopping in my tracks and waltzing over to it. Hey, I remember this mirror.

**The moment you figured out that we weren't exactly human anymore. **

I squint and examine my reflection a bit closer, brushing my hand over the fur of my face. My eyes are as blue as I can remember, thank god for that, and yet… did I always look so gaunt? Did I always have such bags under my eyes? I can't help but draw a finger across the dip beneath my eyes, humming to myself. I guess I can chalk that up to poor sleep, but still, I haven't exactly been taking care of myself have I?

**I could've told you that much, dumbass. **

I snicker lightly to myself before tearing my eyes away from the mirror, forcing myself to march out of the door and into the cold air outside. The suns started setting a while ago, it seems, the light from it managing to slip in through the trees, spilling across the cottage and grass alike. It's a nice little view, and the cold nips at my senses a little bit, a small rush running through my veins as I march up the hill. I slip my gloves over my hands, flexing my fingers lightly as I hum to myself. I probably should've dumped off at least some of my equipment while I was in Annas home, notably my sword and shield, but fuck it, too late for me to worry about that too much for now.

**Do you have any idea where the barracks for this shitty town would be?**

Not at all, I'll wing it until I find it, I could just ask around.

**Fantastic, your planning capability knows no bounds.**

My capability to fake it till I make it is frightening, my favourite little doppelganger.

**Gods above knows that it frightens me, just don't get us killed, and don't jinx us either. **

Come on Adrian, what's the worst that could happen?

**I fucking **_**loathe **_**you, dense mother fucker. **

….

Thankfully, the barracks themselves weren't too hard to find, essentially placed in an offshoot close enough to the inn of the town. Such _convenient _placing, if I'm gonna be honest, can't imagine how rowdy the guards around here would be. The barracks itself doesn't seem to different from the last I've been in, at least from the outside itself, odds are that there's a specific set of construction instructions to build these things. Makes sense, better than winging it.

**Sometimes when you talk, I can feel the brain cells in my skull die. **

I'll take that as a complement, Adrian. A strange and uncomfortable silence seems to linger in the air as I step inside the barracks, the foyer of the place scrubbed clean of both grime and guardsman, a solitary figure standing behind a curved wooden desk, his back turned to me as he tends to something else. I silently approach the man, my paw pads pressing against the cold wooden floor as I stand in front of the counter, a nervous feeling stirring in my chest as I drum my fingers against it. I don't think this dude is anyone I know, clad head to toe in visage obscuring typical guardsman armour that glints in the torch light. Should I uh, get his attention? What the fuck do I do here?

**Probably, stomach your nerves for once. **

"Uh, hey?" I give the mysterious guardsman a small wave, even though he can't see it, the man giving a gruff grunt of acknowledgement.

"Moment." He says shortly, tone filled with disinterests as he keeps his attention to… whatever the fuck's in front of him. I sigh and resign myself to waiting, digging my hands into my cloak pockets, fiddling with the mana crystal that's still held within. I kind of forgot about this thing for a while, I should probably try to practise magic a bit more later on. Hopefully with less things going awfully wrong.

**I've already accepted that my thoughts on the situation's just gonna be tossed into the garbage can, don't mind me. **

The residing guardsman finally finishes whatever task he's in the middle of doing, turning to face me. I purse my lips together as I stare into his helmet as best I can, there's not much I can do to try to identify this dude, his helmet covers most of his features other than his face and nose in a shade. Can't help but wonder if that's magic or something, he doesn't seem like a very notable person otherwise.

"We don't deal with keidran, you best get out." He says curtly, his rough sounding voice doesn't make him seem like a very approachable person, either. I bite back the aggravated growl that stirs in my chest, instead biting the inside of my cheek to keep it at bay. Right, that's how it works around here, I almost forgot about that. Such a shame really, here I was hoping this would be an in and out business.

"Thankfully, I'm not a keidran. Can you direct me to wherever your captains meant to be? He's expecting me tonight." I try my best to keep a level tone as I speak to the man, tapping my paw against the floor. He doesn't react, at least visually anyways, his deadened stare still lingering on my face.

"And what business do you have with our fair captain, subhuman?" I can't help but feel the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, a fire igniting in my chest. I already immediately detest this fucker, is this the type of people who trained with and alongside Edward when he was becoming a guardsman? No wonder he was a bit of a dickhead when we first met.

**Ooh, minorly inconvenienced by a guardsman, you gonna beat his face in with your dense fucking head like you did in those memories?**

Ich, probably not, I'm not _that_ pissed. Just somewhat fucking annoyed.

"That's what I'm wondering, _he _asked _me _to come visit _him_, hence why I'm _here_. Why don't you go get him for me, guardsman? I'm sure you don't want to disappoint the _lovely captain _here, right?" That certainly seems to get a rise out of him, his chapped lips turned down into a scowl, much to my delight. The way he grits his teeth is fucking hilarious to me, his teeth doesn't really look like they're well looked after.

"Listen here _mutt_, even saying the captain's rank is a privilege that's beyond you."

"How _terrifying,_ I'm on the verge of shaking in my boots. Come on, it's just a fucking _rank_, nothing special about that. Doesn't he have a name?"

"Such a beast like you doesn't deserve to know the mans name, you're naught more than a dog that ought to be kicked about."

"I'm sure that you do a fine job keeping the boots around here nice and shiny to do the booting, you certainly look like a man with enough time to do his part." A smug little smile forces its way on my face as the man continues to grind his teeth together, his glower prominent and pronounced, much to my _absolute glee_. This guy's a ball to fuck with!

"Is there a problem here?" A cool sounding voice cuts through the back and forth between the two of us, my neck twisting to turn to the source of the noise. Hey, it's the captain, isn't that convenient? Even late into the night, he's dressed in that decorative looking armour, his arms clasped behind his back. I snicker to myself as the guardsman races to give the captain a stiff salute, following suit with a lazy mock of a salute.

"Hey cappy, how are ya doing tonight?" My grin is wide and my chuckle a mirthful one as the guardsman continues to grit his teeth, I can feel his gaze burning into my side. The captain lets out a soft sigh, a disappointed sounding one at that.

"Zeke, I'd rather you not taunt my men."

"Awh, but it's so much fun!" The captain continues to stare at me, unwavering and emotionless, silence filling the room. Well fuck, now I just feel awkward. I sigh and put my hands in the air, surrendering the conversation before reaching a hand out to hjm. "Alright alright, fine. Sorry about that guardsman, wanna shake on it?"

The guardsman doesn't seem to match my friendly vigour, that scowl of his still staining his face I'd imagine, however masked from view it may be. I shrug and retract the olive branch, digging my hands into my pockets again.

"At ease, private. I'll take it from here." The guardsmans salute doesn't falter as he replies with a stiff 'sir!', the captain's head making a motion to follow him before he turns away, marching down the hall. I give the stationary guardsman a final glance before following the captain, his back already turned to me and fiddling with papers.

"Please, forgive my men for being rather… on edge as of late, tension with the nearby keidran territory has been brewing for quite some time." The captain pipes up with a nice and even tone as we waltz through the hallways, a snort of laughter forcing its way past my lips.

"Really? I didn't notice," I respond to him, sarcasm dripping off of my tongue as my eyes wander, the plain wooden walls don't exactly do much to catch my attention for long though. The captain doesn't follow up with anything, sadly, not even a peep from him. I sigh to myself and rub at my face, now I just feel like a bit of a prick. "It's okay, I should've expected it to be honest. _Maybe _I shouldn't have poked the bear too much."

An uncomfortable silence takes over in place of conversation, the echoes of the captains boots thudding against the floor echoing throughout the hallway as we move onwards. There's not much to speak about, I suppose, digging my hands further into my pockets and fiddling with the mana crystal.

**The captain seems like a rather curt and commandeering man, can't imagine he'd respond well to your antics.**

That's definitely the vibe I'm getting from him, too. Is he held in such high regard due to fear or respect, I wonder, either can be possible. We finally arrive at a large set of doors, looming above the both of us, the captain forcing it open. I follow in close behind him, the door slamming shut behind me as I look over the room.

It's a very spartan looking room, cold and unwelcoming, nothing but bookshelves placed at the end of the room stuffed to the brim with scrolls and parchments, a singular desk placed in front of them. There's a single window to the outside, placed far above the bookshelves.

"Take a seat." The captain says flatly, a nervous feeling in my chest as I follow his orders, planting myself on the seat given. I shuffle in place as he takes his own seat across from me, an awkward silence filling the air.

"So uh, what'd you need from me cappy?" I question the man, attempting to relax into the wooden chair as best as I can, not that it helps much. The captain sighs as he reaches up to his helmet, gripping at the base of it as he pushes it up. I blink in surprise as he plants the helmet onto the table, the man slouching ever so slightly. His wrinkled face is free of facial hair, and yet it's as if it's on the verge of being withered from old age, crows feet on the edge of his squinting grey eyes, his short cut of hair stained a pure white. Holy shit, he looks fucking _old_.

"I'd like to thank you for your assistance, both with the mission I gave to the two of you, and with my dear nephew." He bows his head ever so slightly. I blink in confusion, furrowing my brow as I look over the mans face. Such a rapid shift in tone and how he postures himself, to say that it's a tad strange would be an understatement.

**You don't need a little mask to hide your own emotions, you can make do with whatever you can gather to hide your face. The old bastards probably been in the guard for longer than we've been alive. **

"Eh, don't worry bout it too much cappy, it's just a job. Why'd you even shove the two of us on that mission to begin with? Sure, it turned out alright in the end, but I imagine that there was some ulterior motive behind it?" The mans chuckle sounds off putting, especially coming from a once curt captain, but it sounds genuine enough, wrinkled lips curled up into a small smile.

"Ah, perhaps you're a bit more astute than he gave you credit for. You're correct in that observation, part of it was as a punishment for disobeying orders, but part of it _was _in hopes that he'd be a bit more… approachable when he returns. Not to speak behind my nephews back, but he was a bit one note in his view of life due to _certain events_. He's been far more outgoing since returning, which you've my thanks for." I purse my lips together as he answers the question, drumming my fingers against my thighs, his tone polite and clear if nothing else. Certain events, eh?

"I think I know what you mean by 'certain events', hell if I know for sure, I ain't one to pry." I say with a shrug, my mind wandering back to the _last _time I tried that. I ain't doing that again, no sir. The captain seems somewhat surprised by that, his hands clasped together as he leans forward.

"Truly? I fully believed that he divulged such information with you before you two returned, given with how he's spoken of you." I can't help but smile a little at that, a giddy feeling inside of my chest. Awh, Edward talks about me, huh? That's _cute_.

**Eaugh, I'm gonna hurl.**

"Nah, he hasn't told me yet, maybe someday." I shrug once more, a worried feeling stirring in my chest as the captain eyes me down, tapping my thigh with a renewed fervour. Why's he looking at me like that, is he scheming something?

"Do you wish to know _what _happened then, Zeke?" I feel my brain turn off for a moment, the gears in my head turning as I raise an eyebrow?

"_Excuse me?" _Surely I misheard the man, right? He can't be serious.

"I could very well tell you what happened, should you wish." I furrow my brow as I stare down to the man, pure _fucking disgust _rearing its ugly head, the feeling of bile stirring around in my stomach. This mother fucker _is_ serious.

"That's a hard pass from me, _cappy_. If I wanted to know what happened, I'd hear it from Edward himself, not scheme behind his back to hear about his past from someone else. He's my _friend, _you fuck." I keep down the building anger as best as I can, an irate sounding grunt still forcing itself through my throat. God, I'm fucking _pissed_, scheming bastard of a captain, no wonder he does deals with Gerome. Surprisingly, the captain doesn't react defensively, if anything, he seems to be _glad _that I turned the bastard down, the corner of his wrinkly lips curling into a faint smile. That just makes me _more _pissed at the fucker, did he try to pull a fast one on me? See if I'd actually take the bait? That's all this was, wasn't it?

"Ah, Edwards words weren't for naught, thankful-."

"Do you want to cut to the chase, _captain_? I have other places to be, notably a fucking bed." Bastard of a man, my blood's _boiling _with anger at the fucking gall of him. The man seems surprised that I cut him off, a small frown pushing its way onto his face.

"Please, understand that it was a test, nothing more. A test that I feel some shame in attempting, but one that I felt the need to implement regardless. I don't enjoy the thought of meddling with his life, but considering his past 'friends', it's better safe than sorry. You've seen how it can be around here, filled with naught but hate for others, our family relation doesn't help in regards to those getting closer to him for their own gain. You understand what I mean, correct?" I growl a little to myself as he speaks, a bubble of anger still flowing around in my chest. Fucking bastard of a man, I knew that it was a fucking bait, and now he's picking at my heart strings about it. Doesn't help that he's ignored my want to just _move on _to do it, too. I sigh to myself and rub at my face, the hot rage cooling down slowly.

"Pfeh, I guess I understand, I'm still pissed."

"I'm aware, but I do what I need to do, surely you understand that, too." I take in a long, drawn out intake of air, trying to smother those memories, though it does little to stop the mental images. This meeting went to shit and this night blows ass.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Do you have anything else to say, or are we actually done here?" I say with a dismissive wave, shuffling around in the uncomfortable feeling chair.

"I do, actually, I have a proposition for you."

"And what would that be, cappy?"

"I want you to come under my wing, and join the guard." I feel my brain turn blank as I blink and stare at the man, his face unmoving and emotionless.

**Second time tonight, too, and in such a short amount of time! I feel your last two brain cells pinging between one another. **

"Wat." Is he pulling my leg? Is this a joke, or another bait that this fuckers planned in advance?

"I'm serious this time around, honest to the Masks above. Think about it, you have a stable income, a place to train, you spend some more time with Edward…" He raises his eyebrow as he trails off, the corner of his lips curling up into a smile. I can feel my face morph into a scowl, furrowing my brow as I look down to the table. Fucker's trying to use Edward to get me to join him for this shit, manipulative bastard, I wonder what strings he's pulling at behind the scenes. Despite the distaste in my mouth, my mind can't help but wander. I _was _worried about never seeing Edward again, right? This could be my chance to ensure that we _do _end up together.

"What about your men? I can't imagine that they'd be excited to have to work with a 'subhuman'." I question the man as I look up to him, eyebrow raised.

"What I say, goes. They will understand." He retorts, quickly and simply, his lopsided smile rubbing me the wrong way. That's certainly not ominous sounding at _all_. I take in slow and deep breaths of air, closing my eyes shut and retreating into my mind for a moment.

Hey, Adrian, what're your thoughts on this mess?

**I don't have a strong opinion, though I'm adverse to **_**more **_**fighting. Can't exactly stop you from doing dumb shit.**

"I'd like to have some time to think about it all, if you mind." I finally respond to the man as I open my eyes, staring into his. He gives me a small, probably not very genuine smile, nodding his head.

"I understand, it's just an offer is all. That's all for tonight though, if you want to take your leave." He motions with a hand towards the door, the conversation seems to be at its end. I give the man a nod before pushing myself onto my feet, silently making my way to the door.

"By the way, kid," I twist my head to turn back to the captain, the man in the process of putting his helmet back on. He shakes his head for a moment before it finally slips on, his back straightening as he looks to me, the scheming man making way for the captain of the guard. "I'll inform my men of your existence from hereon, they shouldn't give you too much strife for much longer, should I need your services once more."

"Sounds _fantastic_, see you maybe, cappy."

"Until then Zeke, good night." His visage disappearing behind the closing doors. I stay still for a moment before letting out a loud sigh, slouching against the oversized doors. Two faced bastard of a man, I loathe that I agree with him on some points, I trust him as far as I can throw him. I can't see why Edward sees up to him so much, I know he has an inkling of how he is.

**Is it right to call someone else two faced when I'm stuck inside your head?**

You don't really count as a 'face', do you? You're more like, a really annoying parasite that loves to comment at inopportune times.

**Your attempts to try to deflect your anger by speaking to the voice in your head doesn't go unnoticed by me, I hope you know that.**

I know, I'm very well aware. I sigh and push myself off of the door, wandering down the winding hallways. I just want to get some good fucking sleep for once.

**Another thing we can agree on, it seems. **

….

The cottage is deathly silent as I slip in through the front door, latching the thing shut as I slink through the empty room, making my way to a spare room as quickly as possible, a deep seated sluggishness that infests my muscles brings me a small aching pain as I shut the door behind me. I can feel my eyelids droop as I lazily drop my equipment, unlatching my belt and undoing the straps to my shield, tossing them both atop my bag. People are probably in a deep enough sleep to not notice some banging, right? It wasn't _that _loud.

**Ich, where the fuck did this fatigued feeling hit us from? Can I double pass out in your brain or some shit? **

I can't even muster up a mental response to Adrian as he chimes up, lazily slumping into the previously neat bed, any soft feeling a god damned blessing to me. I draw the covers up to my neck and nestle into the warm bed, a delighted feeling running around in my chest. Fuck, I didn't even take my cloak off. Ah fuck it, whatever, it's extra warmth.

Despite the welcoming feeling of the bed, and how fucking dog tired I am, sleep doesn't exactly come easy, nor swiftly. I toss and turn in the bed, the sluggish feeling that weighs on my limbs only feels heavier as time passes, my lips morphing into a frown. Why the fuck is it so hard to sleep god dammit? I'm in a fucking _bed_, I'd be jumping for joy if I could feel my legs.

My ears flicker as a squeaking noise fills the air, pushing myself onto my elbows to examine the intruder, squinting my eyes to see through the darkness. A small smile falls on my face as the small figure slips into the bed, her soft purring piercing through the silence as I ruffle her hair.

"Bad dreams, kid?" I question in a quiet voice, even though I don't expect her to answer. She silently nudges against my chest, purring even louder as I embrace her into a soft hug, warmth encompassing us both as I keep my hand atop her head. A strange peaceful feeling presses against my chest alongside her nudging, my eyelids drooping once more as I let out a loud yawn, finally falling shut after a few moments.

Sleep comes far easier than before, the bed seems as if it's a soothing and tranquil place of peace for now, shared between the two of us. I feel like there's something else I should do, something to comfort the girl, but this seems good enough for the both of us. I give her a final rub behind her ear before dozing off, into the embrace of sleep.

**Authors Note: There'll be a small hiatus between this chapter and the next, I'm moving houses, here's hoping a slightly extra long chapter would do for a while. **

**28/11/2000: Finally changed the tea conversation after pussyfooting a fair bit, shouldn't affect much else. **


	47. Chapter 47

A soft sigh pushes past my lips as I stir, consciousness returning to me bit by bit as an all encompassing and welcoming warmth smothers me, a smile pushing its way onto my face as I embrace the lot of it. My fingers feel as if they're entangled in a web of fur, soft to the touch that brings a delightful feeling into my heart. It reverberates in my chest, a pulsating warmth like a blanket around the heart, loving and enticing. Jesus Christ, it's so warm here, I just wanna rest for a whole, there's nothing wrong with that is there?. Such a delightfully heavenly feeling shouldn't be put to waste, right? A temporary indulgence didn't do anyone any harm...

"Rise and shine, little bastard." In just a moment, the loving warmth is torn away from me, dissipating like a popped balloon into the abyss. I shiver as a chill runs up and down my spine, rubbing the sleep that sticks to my eyes as best as I can, forcing them open. A familiar ghostly face fills my vision, his lips curled up into a shit eating grin as amusement dances behind his eyes, blue ethereal wisps dissipate into nothingness in the air in an off moment.

"Boo." The little bastards snide giggling fills the air as I groan aloud, my attempts to swat away the little pest with a hand does little as it passes through his body, an uncomfortable chill taking a hold of my limb for a moment as I do so.

"Couldn't let me enjoy myself for a bit longer, huh?" I ask rhetorically, slurring my words slightly even as I try to keep myself awake, blinking and unblinking rapidly to clear the blurred vision. It doesn't seem to do too much, but it's something at least.

"I _was _thinking about it, but it's funnier this way." Of course he answers me with a dickish chuckling, floating his face down to my view, stupid grin still plastered on his face.

"Bullshit." I respond with a snort, flinching in surprise and disgust as he prods my nose with a finger, a chill running through it into my skull. Fucking prick, I hope you felt that too.

"Maybe, maybe not, either way, I get some of the enjoyment of your little episode right there _and _I fuck with you a little, it's a win win in my book." I sigh as he boasts his 'victory', ethereal chest proudly puffed out as he does so. I ignore his little gestures for a moment as I push myself into a seating position, running my hands over the striped sheets, as soft as welcoming as always.

"So, we're back here huh?" I ponder out loud as I look around the room, such a disheveled and unloved little space isn't exactly easy to forget, though it feels like I haven't been here in a while despite that. Well, there _was_ last time, but I can't exactly count that can I? I did fuck all in here beyond beating that desk.

"An astute observation, how did you ever figure that out? A master class detective is what you are." Sarcasm drips from the doppelgangers tongue with his remark, floating over and planting himself on the ruined looking table, feet dangling off of the ledge as he does so. Why does he even need to sit? Does he _need_ it, does he _feel _it? He's a fucking ghost in my head dammit. At least it looks repaired from the time I had to hack and tear the thing open, that's convenient.

"You seem a little bit testy, Adi, what's up your ass?" I get some enjoyment out of seeing the little bastard squirm a bit, I can feel how uncomfortable he is, too.

"_Never _fucking call me that again, that's fucking weird. Do you know how little goes on in your head? There's fuck all to do here when I'm not insulting you or going through your memories, this room isn't exactly entertaining you know." I give the ghost a smug little grin as I lean onto a hand, raising an eyebrow.

"Awh, does that rub you the wrong way _Adi_?"

"Stop."

"You sound a little _mad-i._"

_"Stop."_

"If you wear a maids outfit, you'd be _maid-drian_."

"I said stop you fucking blight upon society!" I can't help but keel over laughing at the little bastards flustering, I can feel his cheeks _somehow_ burning with embarrassment as he hisses aloud, a seething disdainful look on his face.

"Hey, I'd like to think that we're more even than before, you did yank me from a pretty good feeling dreaming moment right there."

"Even my _ass_, gross bastard. That was nothing more than a delusion, you know that right? How the fuck you've managed to have a dream within a dream is beyond me."

"What can I say, I'm rather special." The ghost pinches the bridge of his nose, huffing a distraught sounding sigh as he does so.

"'Special' is definitely a word I'd use for you." I snort lightly in response to the friendly jabbing, twisting and pushing myself off of the bed. I hum to myself as my paws touch the floor, familiar carpet resting below it, my claws outstretched and digging into it lightly. I know what this place looks like, I've been here enough to ingrain it into my memory, and yet…

"Hey Adrian, does something seem _off _about this room to you?" I question the oddly quiet doppelganger, an eyebrow raised before looking around the room himself, still resting upon the desk.

"Other than the comparatively normal feeling of this place looking like a pig sty? Not really." He responds with a nonchalant shrug. I don't feel convinced by his words, squinting my eyes as I continue to examine the room itself. It still looks like shit, not exactly a surprise there.

"...does the carpet look different to you?" I question the spirit again as I look down. There's something different, I can feel it in my bones dammit.

"Really? The fucking _carpet_ caught your attention? What the fuck are your priorities?" Adrian responds with a sneer, though his heart's not exactly put into it, a small smile hidden away on his face. A flash of annoyance flares up in my chest for a moment as I purse my lips.

"No no, I'm serious, there used to be holes in this carpet right? It's not exactly _clean _now, but it's _cleaner_, you can see that right?" Adrians stare squints a little bit more as he looks over the floor once again, shrugging soon after.

"Okay, so the floor looks a little less shitty, what of it? What's the importance of it?" I hum to myself again as he questions me, digging my hands into my pockets and tapping at its insides. I guess it's not _really_ important right now, but still.

"It means that this room can change, it's not as static as I thought it once was. The real question is _what _made it change?" I mostly talk to myself as I approach the book shelf on the opposite side of me, inspecting the thing as well as I can. I can't see any differences, neither here nor the rest of the room, but something's ought to have changed right? I feel Adrians presence wander beside me, quickly glancing over to the ghost to see his hand cupped under his chin, a mocking faux look of contemplation on his face.

"Maybe it's murder?" He suddenly suggests, I can feel the blood drain from my face as I blanch.

"Murder? You're shitting me, right?" I can't help but grimace as I glare at the bastard of a spectre, his hands raised in the air.

"Hey hey, I'm joking! Kind of anyways, c'mon Zekey, isn't it kinda convenient that the _magical _dream room is _magically _repaired even a little bit the day _after _you killed a few people? Maybe it ain't completely correct, but something's better than nothing, ain't it?" I feel nothing but an awful taste in my mouth as he continues on, a taste that only sours as I begin to nod along with him, my hands digging into my pockets to prevent them from travelling elsewhere. I loathe the fact that I'm even milling over the mere suggestion of it, and yet, it _is _something isn't it?

"Pfeh, I'll keep that in mind at least, as much as I wanna deck you for bringing it up. I'm entirely sure that killing things is gonna help with the state of my head, but it's something." I finally relent and accept the _potential _reasoning for it, it's just possible, nothing more and nothing less. The doppelganger seems somewhat surprised by it, too, from the way he blinks.

"...out of all of the things you could listen to me on, from not running into danger and not trying to blow our head up with magic, _this _is the fucking thing you listen to? Seriously? I get that you've probably taken my advice with other things, but _come on._" He says with a whine, his face contorted into a mix of confusion and disgust. I sigh to myself and rub at my temple with a hand.

"Yes, I'm aware that it might seem a _tad _odd-"

"Just a tad?"

"-but it's something I'm willing to consider at least, as much as I wanna beat you for it." I finally finish myself and glare at the interrupting gnat of a ghost, a vein in my skill pulsating as he shrugs.

"Eh, better than nothing I guess," He responds as he floats away from me, returning to his seemingly claimed spot atop the ruined looking desk, leaning back against the wall. "What are you gonna do here anyways?"

"Well, the only way I know how to get out of here safely is by, ya know, trying to dig into my memories." I purse my lips together as I yank a book from the shelf, flipping through it and glazing over the pages idly. There's no tug, no pull, no _drive _from this book it seems, nothing more than empty pages of paper.

"What happened the last time you tried to do that? Didn't it blow up in your face?"

"More or less, I don't _think _it literally exploded, but it had the same effect." I say with a sigh and shove the worthless book of memories back into its original spot, stealing another one from its place. This one's probably worthless too.

"Ever attempt it again?"

"Nope."

"How absolutely fucking fantastic, I'm sure we got this in the bag now." He says with a deadpan tone, a small smile eeking its way into my face as I shove the book back into its rightful spot. Next one.

"You know, I can _totally _get us out of here without needing that shit." I can _feel _Adrians ethereal muscles tense as he stiffens.

"Don't you fucking _dare_." He warns with a hiss, much to my absolute delight.

"Hey don't worry about it, I don't actually wanna do that this time around." I follow up with myself to defuse the tense man, a dejected feeling resting on my chest as I put _this _book back. It's kind of a pointless venture at this point. I can feel Adrian deflate with a relieved sigh, a short bark of laughter coming out soon after.

"Ah fuck, you actually got me there, are you genuinely learning that pain is bad? I'm so proud of you for growing up Zeke!" A soft snort of laughter pushes its way out of my throat as he speaks, a mocking sing song tone from the bastard.

"I can take the pain, I just don't wanna wake Mabel up, she is sleeping next to me after all." I give up on trying to force a memory and instead lean against the bookshelf instead, looking over to Adrian. The man's oddly silent, his lips formed in a straight line with a strange look on his face, a mix of befuddlement and exasperation. Also anger, can't forget anger.

"By the gods I loathe you, why can't you just be normal for once?" He finally says with an exasperated tone, groaning out loud as bangs the back of his skull against the wall. I don't think he's _actually_ doing it, given the lack of noise and feeling, but it's the thought that counts. He stops soon after though, not entirely sure that it's because he's given up or because he's satisfied though, returning to lazing on the table for the moment. There's not much else to do here, other than hang around, this room really isn't entertaining.

Actually, speaking of this room.

"Hey, Adrian?" The ghosts ears flicker for a moment as I call to him, an eyebrow raised. Huh, is that how an ear flicker looks in someone else's point of view? I wonder if basitin ears are normally so emotive.

"What's up, waste of skin?"

"You said that this room isn't exactly entertaining, have you spent much time in here?" I ask him with a tilt of the head. He hums for a moment, fingers drumming against his leg as he does so. Isn't that something I do? I guess it's not a great surprise that we share the same mannerisms, but still, how _adorable_.

"Well, in a way I suppose. I'm still stuck watching you be a nuisance all the time like a backseat passenger, but when I don't care for the conversation at hand, I can kind of dip into your head for a bit to try to ignore the conversation. I'm still stuck there, but I'm also _here_, half and half. Not the best explanation, but you're not the best host, so fuck you." I can't say I'm exactly surprised that he tacked on an insult at the end there, but I don't see a reason to respond to it, he's not really putting much heart into putting me down is he? I rub my chin with a hand as I hum to myself, thoughts brewing in my mind. Such a strange idea though, how _fascinating. _Not entirely sure I wanna experience it first hand though.

"Is that how you can go through my memories?"

"Eh, not exactly. I can do it whenever, we share a mind you numb nuts, it's just easier here."

"Mn, fair enough. Thanks Adrian." I give the ghost a nod and a smile, snickering internally as he scoffs and looks away, he can't exactly hide the small smile on his face very well though. It's an understandable enough answer to a very abnormal sounding question, at least it's given me something to think about, to pass the time and all. Part of me wishes that it could just be a little bit normal, just a little bit more understandable. Then again, nothing here's very fucking normal is it.

...normal, huh? For a fantasy fuckfest of a world, I've been using normal a fair bit haven't I? I guess normal's relative to what's meant to be abnormal. What is normal, then? What's normal to me, or at the least_, _the old me? Was there a normal day for me in this world, or at least a normal enough one, one free from shenanigans and fuckery? Did old me have some shards of a heart left to recognise such a thing? I would've spent it with that emerald lady, wouldn't I? _What would a simple time, day or night, be like with someone like her?_

A strange _guttural _feeling pulsates through the room like a reinvigorated heart, stumbling away from the bookshelf and struggling to stay on two feet, the hair on the back of my neck standing up right. Adrian shifts away from the thing and beside me, his ears raised as he looks over to me, the scowl on his face does little to hide the worry that plagues him.

"You, what the fuck was that? You did something, didn't you? Did you fucking touch something?"

"I-I didn't touch shit! I was just thinking about things!"

"Seeing as we're in a fucking _dream_, that probably fucking means something, God fucking dammit Zeke!" The thundering of the room reverberates in my chest, clinging and grinding against my bones as I squeeze my eyes shut, raising my arms to shield them from the blinding light that engulfs the room. It lingers for a while longer before disappearing into dust, coming and going with an unnatural swiftness, blinking away the spots of light that stain my eyes as best as I can. I can hear Adrian groan beside me as I finish myself up, a hand brushing away pained tears as I stare at the bookshelf. There's an odd, yet familiar tugging in my chest, one that I can feel yanking at my heart, the thundering of it dying slowly dying down.

"Huh, I guess I did something right there." I comment idly as I waltz over to the bookshelf, running my hands over the blank spines. The tugging in my heart only intensifies, even as trepidation lingers around it.

"Ugh, what the fuck do you mean to 'did something right'? What did you _do_?" I can't see him float beside me, but I can definitely feel his presence, his scornful sounding grumbling echoes throughout the room. I don't answer him though, falling into the enticing pull from the bookshelf. It's not on _this _row, maybe the next one then? The books feel strange on my fingertips, and the longer I search, the more doubt seems to fill my mind. What if all this is just a farce, or something that doesn't lead into anything? I purse my lips together as a chill strikes through my skull, pulling me away from the shelf for a moment, ignoring it as best as I can. Come on, I _know _it's close dammit.

"Fantastic, you've lost your mind haven't you?" Little bastard isn't really helping, is he? I can feel his gaze piercing through me even as he floats around my body. I freeze for a moment as my fingers brush over a spine, latching onto it for dear life and yanking it from the shelf.

"This one, this is the one with memories, I think so anyways." I mumble aloud as I rub my hand over the cover, the tugging that surrounds my heart seems to have disappeared though, it's guiding hand lost to the wind. I can't help but worry _more _cause of it, maybe I was too late for… whatever the fuck this is.

"You still haven't told me what you did, fuckhead." I feel my nose crinkle as he flicks it with a finger, rubbing it with a hand in an attempt to smother the irksome chill. This motherfucker.

"I just, well, kinda went into my thoughts for a little while, thinking bout what a normal day would be for the old me. So that's what I think this memory is, just a day off with that emerald chick." I finally explain to the ghost, holding it up to show the book off to him. He hums to himself and brushes a finger against his chin, it doesn't really look like he's genuinely examining the thing though.

"Your priorities really are kind of fucked, first the carpet, then about waking the kid up, now this? Out of any day you could've thought of, you think of what's probably the most potentially boring one?" I sigh to myself and pull it away from him, back to my side it goes.

"It's not like I knew that it was gonna happen or anything, it was just something that I was thinking of. But hey, if I _can _influence the possible memories we dig up, it'd be a fair bit better than praying to whatever god's above that we get something useful. Besides, we could learn more about that emerald chick." That seems to have gotten his attention at least, with the way he squints his eyes as he looks down to me. God, I'm still not exactly used to this, it feels fucking weird.

"I mean, I _suppose _it can, but that's if it works. Something tells me that you're not exactly confident in that though." I smile awkwardly and rub the back of my neck as he eyes me down.

"Well, I can't exactly say that I know what I'm doing for sure, can I? This is a first for me, for the both of us, we might as well take a leap of faith. It doesn't help that I _might've_ lost the tugging feeling that I normally used to find the piece of shit memory at the very end of this too, so this may or may not _actually _be the right cook."

"So you have no idea what you're doing, you have no idea if it'll work, and even if it _does _work, it might blow up in our face?" He speaks in such an accusatory tone, I can see his eyelids flicker from spot to spot as he continues to examine me. Kind of feels like he's an overprotective exasperated parent to be honest, or an elder brother.

"More or less, it's not gonna explode, probably." He lets out a long lasting groan of discomfort, a hand reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Alright, fuck me then, whatever."

"Don't tell me you're scared of a book, Adrian."

"I'm not _scared_, I'm _cautious_, at least one of us has to be. " He finishes that with a huff, crossing his arms with a miffed look on his face. "It's not like I can stop you or anything, just don't throw us into the fire."

He seems to drop the conversation soon afterwards, his gaze glancing between myself and the book as he floats above. Hesitation grabs my heart as I drag my thumb over the papers, it feels like a crusty and fragile thing, old and well worn. Alright Zeke, final step, even if this doesn't work, we'll find another way out of here, right? Nice and easy, what's the worst that could happen?

The sound of crackling and snapping comes from the book, from what I assume to be disuse as I force it open, pages sticking together as I flip through them, that tugging feeling reigniting in my chest as I do so. Ah, there we go, totally knew that this was the right one. The pages seem to take a mind of its own, flipping through itself, albeit a bit slower than I remember, holding it out and away from my chest. The book itself rumbles energetically as the wrathful thwipping of the pages turns it into a wildfire of crusty paper, raising my arms to shield from the blinding light that comes forth from it.

The world turns black, and Adrians yelp is the last thing I hear before it's drowned out by a painful silence that rings in my damned skull.

…..

_The cold bite of the morning wind nips at the edges of my fingertips like a teething wolf, I feel the sweat on my brow clinging to me for dear life as I hack into the target, a growl clogging up my throat._

_Failure._

_A stab of pain pulsates through my skull for a moment as I raise my blade up high._

_How could you? You swore yourself to your duty_

_It digs into the target once, then twice, my chest heaving as my lungs burn, the hewing swing digging into it in a flurry of fury._

_You failed Her._

_My muscles tense and scream into nothingness as I bash it to a bloody pulp, that irksome pain flaring up in my head seems to linger for a bit longer than usual, my spare hand clutching my skull as I hunch over, gasping ragged breaths as I look down to the mess. The splintered remains of a wooden carcass is all that greets me, driven into the mud and laid to waste._

_Complete and utter failure. Couldn't even do my damned job, let alone kill that traitorous bastard._

_There's nothing else for me to do to this thing, such a duty is more suited to the slaves that work here than myself. At least they can do their job. _

_"Awh, looks like you're a little pent up, dear~" Her sultry silky voice washes over my skull, muscles relaxing ever so slightly as I turn the Her. She's clad in a flowing red dress that hangs off of her body, fur lined across her neck that trails down from her collarbone to her sides_ _for warmth, there's that seemingly everlasting mischievous glint that lives in her glistening green eyes, a scheming little smile on her face. My gaze lingers on Her for a moment too long before standing to attention, arms to my side as I bow to her. _

_"Mistress." I reply curtly, my eyes stuck to the dirt even as I hear Her approach. Her beauty is a sight to behold and a gift, gifts are not given wantonly, especially to those who don't deserve the privilege._

_"Still feeling a bit uptight, deary? You know I don't fault you for that mess of a mission, I truly don't." A shiver runs up my spine as she continues to approach, her covered heels digging into the dirt below. The tip of her nails dig into the flesh of my chest as she gently prods at it, sliding up until she reaches my face, cupping it with a hand. Still, I do not gaze upon Her, the slowly beating heart in my chest wringing and writhing inside._

_"Failure is not an acceptable outcome, Mistress. I will accept any punishment bestowed upon myself." I say in as flat a voice as possible, my vision blurring for a moment. Failure, such an abhorrent word, one that could aptly be used to describe myself. The hand that cups my face squeezes ever so softly, a tender and loving touch, even as she pulls my head up to face her. There's a small frown on Her face as she looks down to me, fingers gently drumming against my cheek, I struggle to maintain eye contact with her. Do I still fail her, even now? Is that why she looks down to me with such sadness, such pity?_

_"My poor, poor little dear…" She whispers softly to me, the soft jingling of her loving voice dancing in my skull as she grips the back of it, dragging me close to her. My muscles tense as she pressess my head against her chest, a flurry of thoughts melding together in my skull. Why is she doing this, and why for me? Am I truly deserving of such forgiveness, what is this feeling that plagues my chest, am I falling ill? Those thoughts die rather quickly, a soft hand cupping my ears, the digging and massaging between two fingers placates the noise in my skull, a shuddering sigh escaping my chest as she does so._

_"I believe that I owe you an apology, my dear." I can feel my heart fight between freezing and increasing the intensity of its beats, my mouth forced agape, naught but stuttering escaping from it. An apology, from her? "I believe that I may have put a bit too much stress and other things on you, and that's no one's fault but my own."_

_Stress? Stress!? I am a basitin, a warrior set upon a life of servitude to Her, a truly beloved being, I should not succumb to something such as stress. Regardless, what apology would I deserve from her beyond the dirt beneath her heels?_

_"My dear, do you know why I set you upon that mission?" Her voice is as soft as silk and as clear as crystal, a barely subdued whine smothered in my chest as her hand glides down my ears, forcing me to look up to her. Such, such gorgeous green eyes, pools of emerald…_

_"T-to escort the guards stationed at a town to another location, Mistress." She nods gently, her fingers brushing through my hair as she smiles._

_"That's right, and did you expect to be taken off from the directed path by your team mate who disobeyed orders?"_

_"No, Mistress." I could've done more, should've done more, but I was under specific instructions to not harm or maim those two_

_"Did you expect that guardsman to attack that wandering slaver to free his stock?" My ears flatten as she whispers harshly, a deep frown forcing itself onto her face. That disgusting memory invites itself into my mind, the ember of loathsome vehemence flaring up in my chest for a moment. Such a disgusting thing to do, they're all perverse lesser degenerates who deserve nothing less, why would a guard turn his back on his own code to assault a man?_

_"No, Mistress." _

_"Then why are you so worried about it, dear? I know how you work, I gave you orders that ended up directly contributing to the failure of the mission, much my chagrin. It's more my fault than your own." It's hard to look away from her, but it's harder to keep looking into her eyes, it's as if she's staring straight through me. _

_"I still disobeyed orders myself, Mistress, and failed the mission alongside it." That gives her pause, panic clutching my chest as she hums, my shoulders tensing up. By the Masks, what did I just do there? _

_"While your hostility towards that particular guardsman was warranted, the needless destruction of that man's stock is less so, I've heard plenty about how wild and sloppy you were in that moment, that man has lungs to last. Seriously dear, I don't mind paying for you out of my pocket, but perhaps you could give me a heads up?" I know she's just trying to tease me, she has that lovely demon woman smile on her face, but I barely feel worthy of it, my tail wrapping around my leg as she stares. There's little for me to say, as much as I loathe the existence of them, and as much as I love the bloodrush of a battle, I recall my memories of those moments as… disturbingly hazy._

_"Hun, what did you do yesterday?" My ears flicker as she suddenly speaks, feeling returning to my body._

_"I trained and followed orders from you, Mistress."_

_"The day before that?"_

_"Almost identical, Mistress."_

_This goes on for a while, a delighted flicker in my chest as I answer each question quickly and effectively. Some days are far more memorable than others, such as the day I tore the traitor away from his unworthy home. I can follow orders, I'm good at my job Mistress! The light feeling in my heart sinks as she frowns, a creeping dread clawing into my chest. Did I do something wrong?_

_"...my dear, have you been getting enough sleep?" That's not quite the question I expected from her, though it's one I'll answer dutifully._

_"There is minimal time to sleep Mistress, though I often sleep from midnight to sunrise." A sleeping pattern I wish I could shorten to be truthful, one cannot be vigilant whilst asleep._

_"When was the last time you had a break from doing work?"_

_"It's never been required, Mistress." My heart continues to plummet as the frown on her face deepens, a hazy look behind her emerald eyes._

_"...when was the last time we spent time together, not to work, but to relax?" I can't help but hesitate despite myself, I can't lie, not to her, the hesitation that injects itself into me won't stop it._

_"It's my job to allow you to relax through the orders you've given me, Mistress, to relax myself is to waste time." The looming dread that stabs into my chest continues to drive itself deep inside me, her face wracked with… disappointment? Have I continued to disappoint her? _

_"My favourite knight, I've a very special order for you." She says in a soft whisper, soft enough that I can barely hear it. It's strange to see her like this, shes always carried herself with a proud and powerful aura, her strengths matched the demand for respect. Is this a way to mend this situation, perhaps?,_

_"Anything for you, Mistress." Anything at all, give me the order and I shan't fail you repeatedly, a second chance is more than what's deserved when under her care. _

_"Leave your equipment behind, and walk with me, spend today with me and relax for once." Such a strange, strange order, one I've never received before, though I'm not one to rebuke such a demand._

_"Should you wish it, I shall comply." She giggles softly, her hand cupping my cheek as she continues to look down to me, an odd soothing feeling thrumming throughout my body._

_"You really need to lighten up, my dear, don't hesitate to let loose a bit, and to ask questions. Who knows, maybe you could end up asking the right things~" Ask questions? To what exactly? It's not my right to pry, only to obtain more information. She giggles again, a more devious tone held within it as she leans down to me, I can feel her lips brush against the fur of my cheek, a hot breath of air mingling within my ear. "Maybe you could ask me to show off my ankles, for once."_

_I can feel my face ignite, the heat burning down to my neck and up to my ears as I pull away from Her, her delighted laughter echoing throughout the open field with a terrible glee, my hand raised to cover my burning cheeks as much as possible, a scowl forcing itself on my face. Damned demon woman._

_"I've no earthly clue as to why that gets such a reaction out of you, but it's something I shall treasure for as long as possible, you're more fun when you're a blushing mess." She pinches my cheek with a soft touch before swivelling, waltzing out of the field. Keep your eyes away from her hips, dammit. "Hurry along now, and please don't try to cause a scene with anyone, relaxing doesn't usually entail such violence."_

_I hold the sword to my side as I follow behind Her, a small bit of joy flickering in my chest. Such a task would be simple enough to complete, after all._

_"And please put a shirt on, I like the view, but others won't share my tastes."_

_She barks another laugh as my face continues to burn, fingertips twitching by my side. Demon woman._

…_.._

_The gnawing of the cold air lacks the bite it once had, it can't gum it's way through the bundling cloth that hangs off of me, a deep dark brown shirt seems as if it'd attract less attention than my armour. Loathe as I am to go about without it, She made it clear that it'd be wiser to keep the Templar affiliation under wraps and to remain conspicuous, at least for now. I've no inkling as to why, there's quite an obvious difference between myself and any human that roams these streets, but I shan't question it. To question authority, such an idea brings me nothing but dread to even think about, it grinds against my very being, but if it's an order to question it, then what am I to do?_

_"How are you finding this little walk so far, my dear?" Her silky voice gently guides me out of my thoughts, her head turned back to face me with a dainty smile on her face. Best to not stare too long, lest she takes notice._

_"This walk is, strange, I'm surprised that no one's attempted to approach us." I turn my sight on the crowd that walks beside and around us, a few shifting eyes looking towards me for a moment before turning away is the only sign that we've been noticed. _

_"Oh? Why's that, dear?" She tilts her head as that smile of her widens, deftly brushing past the oncoming crowd gracefully despite her sight being turned to face me. She said that she doesn't mind questions, correct? Perhaps this is her attempt to nudge me in such a direction._

_"I believed that you would be known among the crowds here, or possibly sought after." Her light giggling pierces through the murmuring of the crowd, a mischievous glint behind her eyes as she winks before turning away._

_"Those who should know me do, those who shouldn't know better than to spread it around. These people are off in their own worlds, their own lives, why would I give myself away for a little bit of recognition?" Her answer only breeds more questions within my mind, ones that I feel hesitant to ask. She's given me the order, therefore I shall._

_"I do not entirely understand, My Lady, you're more than powerful enough without the help of others, what is the purpose behind it?" She stops in her tracks, my claws scratching against the stone as I stop behind her. Oh no, did I offend her? My heart quickens as she turns to me, a small proud smile on her face as she clasps her hands together._

_"Awh, do you really think that highly of me, deary~?" My cheeks burn as she plants her hand atop my head, her fingers gently digging into it, much to my displeasure. Demon woman._

_"Naturally. Ones power shouldn't be understated, especially yours, My Lady." Her gleeful smile doesn't persist for very long, the lovely thing turning tender as she drags her nails down my cheek. The swarming of the crowd continues, though they do not interrupt either of us, either they don't wish to acknowledge us or they don't care._

_"I know your kind holds physical strength to a high degree, but there's other ways to get what you want, guile is not to be underestimated in certain… let's say situations, shall we?" Her smile looks almost saddened for a moment, her thumb brushing across my cheek as she leans down to me. "Besides, I've lived long enough to know what I personally prefer, though your brute strength does compliment it well enough."_

_My head instinctively tilts as I look up to her, a soothing feeling spreading throughout my chest._

_"Lived long enough? You look far from old, My Lady." Her bark of laughter is a sharp one, it catches me by surprise as a delight dances behind her eyes, lips curled into a mischievous smile._

_"Hah! And here I was thinking that you didn't know how to compliment a woman to save your life." The fire in my cheeks reignites as she continues to laugh, the clogging of my throat doesn't assist with the situation either. Is that a compliment with human females, or did she just take it as one? Was I wrong to say it? By the Masks, is it an intimate compliment? The raging thoughts that afflict my mind comes to a screeching halt as a soft feeling is pressed on my forehead, a tingling warmth spreading throughout it and down to my paws. I can't seem to speak, my mouth opening and shutting as she giggles again. Wha? I don't, what?_

_"Haaah, you're a cute kid, aren't you? Oh so easy to fluster, and oh so fun!" An irked huff of air pushes itself out of my throat as she presses a thumb against my forehead, that tingling sensation lingering alongside it. I'm not a kid, though I don't have the heart to refute her, there's a strange… peaceful sensation that rests on my chest, despite being surrounded by humans. What is this feeling? Such serenity is almost uncomfortable, but not entirely unwelcome, it clashes with the familiar lust for battle and order. I'm not entirely sure how to process it, but the feeling of her touch is more than enough._

_"Alright, that's enough of that, keep up with me darling!" It takes me a moment to process her waltzing away, though I catch up to her quickly. The crowd thins out as we continue our march, the buildings that surround us is an unfamiliar sight. The only thing that's familiar about this place is the Templar tower that looms over us, a chill running up my spine as I look to the abomination. Such a disgusting thing._

_"We're here, my dear." She suddenly stops in front of me, standing beside her as I look towards the little building. It's a strange thing, a grandiose sign of unfamiliar human dialect emblazoned above the doorway, a small number of people walking in and out of the place, the sight of humans seated at tables visible behind the swinging door._

_"This is a restaurant, right?" I turn my neck to face Her, there's a proud smile on her face that reddens my cheeks, her hand resting atop my head._

_"Mhm! I'm taking you out for some good food, better than the disgusting gruel you get in those Templar barracks, I don't know how you can stand those things." She shivers even as she continues to ruffle my hair, a small smile forcing its way on my face. This is, this is nice, I'm far from used to such affection, and such a thing would see me berated back home… but this isn't home, is it? I'm with Her._

_"My Lady, may I ask a question?" I suppose that question within itself is a question, but she nods regardless, a beaming smile on her face._

_"With a smile like that kid? Of course, what are you wondering about?" It still feels strange to ask questions, even though her voice is as sweet as honey about it._

_"I'm not exactly known for my sensitivity for mission related matters, you know what I've done, nor would I believe myself worthy of such things. I don't wish to sound like I'm complaining, but why does she treat me like this?" My throat feels somewhat raw as I question her, talking even for this long is not something I've had time to prepare for. There's that mischievous smirk though, something synonymous with Her in most points of the day._

_"I thought it was obvious my dear, I play favourites, I did say you were my favourite after all." My cheeks burn again as she looks down to me with a caring stare, something that she clearly notices with her affectionate touchings. _

_"Why am I favoured, My Lady? Is there something I've done to warrant such a thing?"_

_"Of course, your brawn is a fantastic compliment to my own… way of doing things let's say, should it be needed. Of course, there are other reasons." My head tilts as I look up to her, a confused feeling rushing through my chest._

_"Other reasons?" A delighted bark of laughter is her answer, a lopsided smirk on her face as she ruffles my head._

_"That's a secret, dear, I'll tell you some time later. Now! Let's get some food, I personally believe that you'd enjoy the lobsters here…" Her hand snags my arm with a tender grip, pulling me towards her as she approaches the building. A small smile forces itself on my face as she drags me along, despite my best efforts._

_A lovely demon woman._

…

My eyes snap open as I gasp for air, my trembling legs fail to keep me upright, falling to a knee, confused thoughts buzzing around in my skull. What the fuck? What's going on, where am I? What am I doing here? I force my eyes shut and take in deep breaths, the thunderous beating of my heart dying down as I calm myself.

Right, dream, memory thing, I guess that memory came to a close, why does my head feel so confused? God, this feels beyond strange, this isn't where I should've woken up. Adrian, are you there? What's going on?

I hold back my breath as I wait for a reply, nothing arrives, the only company within my mind is that incessant buzzing that rings inside it. I sigh softly, standing upright as carefully as I can, the tremble in my legs doesn't seem too keen on leaving me alone. Fuck it, I've walked through worse, I can brute force the issue.

Looking around this place doesn't exactly give me any clue on what's going on, a wooden and bare corridor towards a single exit, of which is a very plain wooden door. The atmosphere in this place is an uncomfortably cold one, it nips at my ankles and weighs upon my chest, a shiver running up my spine. I suppose I'm meant to walk forward, then? There's not much else for me to do. I purse my lips together and spare a glance behind me, a seemingly endless abyss returning my gaze, such deep dark blackness doesn't exactly give off welcoming vibes. Well fuck then, I guess I'm definitely meant to move forward.

Each sluggish step sends a minor jolt of pain and annoyance lancing through my nerves while I move towards the end, stumbling my way into the door. It flings open at the slightest touch, stumbling _through _the thing, swinging shut with a violent shuddering. I stand in silence as the noise of metal grinding against metal fills the air, a locking sound following in its footsteps soon after. Well fuck you too then, I didn't wanna go back anyways.

Shelves line the walls as I continue my sluggish walk, some emptied of any content, some stuffed to the brim with scrolls and books. A spark of recognition ignites in my head, it forces me to stumble through the continued hallway with a renewed haste. Hah, I got a hunch in where this is going.

The walls that surround me fade into black, a small smile gracing my face as a bright light shines through the dark, raising an arm to shield myself from the brilliance of it. It fades quick enough, the endless corridor replaced with an oh so familiar room, the table at the other side of it is particularly memorable.

I let out a sigh of relief as I plant my ass down on the chair, a dull pain throbbing in my legs.

"Welcome back, Zeke." Her cold voice fills my ears as she shifts into view, clad in that black robe of hers, piercing blue eyes staring into me as she clasps her hand together. She's as emotionless sounding as I recall.

"Told you that I'd remember you." I say with a grin, resting my chin atop a hand as I relax into the table.

"One would hope your memory is not so deplorable as to forget something so soon after first meeting it, we're both aware that you've forgotten things at an astounding rate." I flinch a little and click my tongue on my teeth, can't really say much bout that one can I?

"You got me there, miss. So, what are we doing here for now?" I lean back into the chair, stretching out my arms and legs as best I can, might as well try to get comfortable here.

"A few things to discuss, for you to reflect on. How do you feel about the killings as of now?" Cold and emotionless as always, though at least free of judgement, was she like this in real life too, or is this just how i perceived her in the past? I suppose it doesn't matter too much, in the end.

"I don't feel too bad, at least not right now, I suppose having time with friends helped out with it. I can't imagine that it would've been smooth sailing if I was stuck alone with my thoughts and nothing else."

"And would you kill again, for need or want to do so?"

"Ich, only as a last resort would I do that again, I'm not so far gone that I'd turn into a psycho," Spitting that out leaves a bit more than just a bitter taste in my mouth, even if the lady nods in acknowledgement. I hum and look around the room for a moment, a frown making its way onto my face. "Hey, where's the little buddy? I thought they'd be around here."

"It is currently resting at the moment, Zeke, drained of energy from your initial venture into this place." I let out a small 'ah' of realisation as I nod, drumming my fingers against the desk.

"Are they gonna be okay?"

"It will recuperate in time, and your worry would be appreciated by it too." A happy sigh escapes through my breath, a small smile on my face. I'm glad that they'll be alright, I'd be sad to learn if they're harmed or anything. "Should we move to another subject, Zeke?"

"Is there more to talk about?"

"Naturally. It's rather difficult to hide your emotions and thoughts from someone who's inside your mind. Even withouth that, it's rather obvious that you'd have quite a few thoughts about your most recent memory," I grumble to myself as my tongue clicks, god dammit, can't hide shit from people in my fucking head huh?

"Of course not, Zeke."

Pfeh.

"It's, kind of weird to talk about, if I'm gonna be honest."

"Why is that Zeke?"

"I've spent a lot of time brooding about what I've done in the past while being scared shitless bout it, thinki- no, _knowing _that I've been a piece of shit, to see something like that mess just makes me…" I purse my lips as I trail off, twisting my wrist in the air. What would be the right word for this situation anyways?

"You feel conflicted about what you saw, because it directly contradicts what you know of your past self."

"Yeah, there you go, doesn't help that the very start of that memory brings up something awful I've done, too." I say in a mumble, placing my hands back into my lap. I guess that answers what I did to piss off Alex and Lucas, if only in passing, I wonder how they're going anyways.

"How do you currently feel about knowing such things now?" She continues to question me after a short moment. I hum to myself, mulling over my thoughts for a second.

"Confused, I suppose. It's nice to know a bit more about my past, but it's only given me more questions, you know? Things like who that emerald lady _actually _is, what was my relationship with her? I always thought she'd be a bit different, is that how she normally is? Why the fuck was I so small?" I intend to lighten the mood a little bit with the last question, it does something for me at least, though the strange lady doesn't show any reaction to it, cold blue eyes staring, unblinking. Thought I'd get some reaction from her, so damned aloof.

"Such questions is something that only you can figure the answer to, Zeke, something to keep in mind in the future. We both know that you're planning on delving further into your memories, whatever ones you find possible of course." I nod along to her as I hum to myself, sure I'll have the help of Adrian when I'm awake, but that's not right now is it?

"Eh, I'll deal with it later, probably." I wave a hand dismissively, I'll bounce ideas off of Adrian when we wake up. The lady nods, just the once.

"Understandable, do be sure to keep it in mind, lest it slips from memory. Although I'd imagine your Other would kick you into gear."

"Heh, probably would."

"You've a strange deal of respect for him, don't you? Despite being a pessimistic fragment of your own mind, you treat him as if he's a person." I can't help but pause for a moment, hesitating as I rub the back of my neck.

"Well, yeah, despite him being a bit of a shithead sometime, he's still begrudgingly good at times. It's nice to have someone to talk to whenever, it helps me feel less alone. It's hard to see him as less than his own person too, I feel like he's changed a bit, his insults have a bit less bite than they used to." She nods along as I speak, it's surprisingly nice to talk about him so openly honestly, even if he can't hear me do so. Still not sure on how to think with that little magic episode we had that one time, shit scared me half to death, but I don't fault him for it. He can't actually control what i see after all, though I hope there's no more… hallucinations I guess, or delusions, whatever the fuck the word is.

"Why is it that you feel the need to omit details about our little meetings, then?" My mind halts for a moment as the gears inside turn, biting the insides of my cheek.

"...I'm not sure, really, I just haven't felt the want to."

"Do you think he'd take personal offence to being kept in the dark?"

"Probably, I don't think he'd be used to that. But at the same time, he knows things that I can't remember, hidden deep in my mind, isn't it close enough to the same thing?"

"Potentially, I've not an inkling as to how he would think, although he seems the more pragmatic out of the both of you, wouldn't some of the information he could give be seen as pointless should it not assist in your survival? Although the same could be said about this conversation, should you choose to see it that way."

"I guess so…" I trail off for a bit, there's not much else I can tack onto that, dipping into my thoughts to think. He just wants me to live, right? To live and to jab at me occasionally, I guess I can at least try to understand that.

"It could always be possible that you don't trust him."

"Fuck no!" My legs flare up in pain as I launch up straight, my hands digging into the wooden table as I glare down to the lady. The moment of anger dies down as quickly as it arrived, though, the only thing left in my chest is a smoldering embarrassment, my cheeks burning as I sit down. "S-sorry, shouldn't have gotten pissed there, that was rude. I _do _trust him, he's tried his best to look after me, to varying degrees of success, but his ghostly heart's in the right place for the most part. It's just, I dunno how to say it…"

"It could be that you don't have a reason behind it beyond your own wish to do so, there need not be a reason behind every action after all." I continue to gently gnaw at my cheek as I stare into the table, trying to think of _something_.

"Isn't that kind of, you know, selfish?"

"Potentially, it could also be a matter of perspective on what could be the best option in a situation from one individual to another. You wouldn't be the first to act for self gain though, and you won't be the last, not all humans are predictable or easy to read after all."

"Yeah yeah, I know. I'm not the best with judging a persons character though, am I? Hell, my best friend is a human that hates non humans, and probably hated my very existence when we first met.'

"Even one with the face of a monster can have humanity to themselves, as can the opposite be true. People mesh and meld in conflicting ways, with varying results." Gods, this conversation's really taking it out of me, I can feel my eyelids droop more with each passing second.

"We could end this little session right here, should you wish."

"Nah nah, I'm okay, I can keep going on for a bit longer. I'm just, really really fucking confused. That lady seemed to relish in my more brute like actions, but also seemed to coddle me, fucking _coddle _me dammit, who the fuck does that?"

"That lady, as is clear enough. Her motives are far from clear currently, though it seems that she thoroughly enjoyed your past actions. Perhaps she took some pity on you, though, and wished to meld you into someone else." I think over the memory as best I can with the thickening haze that clouds my mind, trying to shake it off when I can.

"With how she acted? I guess I could see that, she probably saw something to turn me into for whatever reason." I say with a scoff, an odd irked feeling stirring in my chest. Whatever she saw in the old me is likely as dead as I once was, sure there's some bits of my old personality that lingers inside me, but I'm not exactly the same person any more. Hell, I could've been a bit of a prickish person in both lives, who knows.

"It's possible that she decided to 'play favourites' simply because she wished, you do know very little about her beyond murmurings and scarce memories. Do you find her actions within that dream to be a bit familiar to you?"

"Uh… probably? It's a dream, it's probably a little bit familiar, I'm not sure what you're getting at here." I tilt my head as I stare at her, the woman actually shuffles ever so slightly in her seat. Probably the largest reaction I've gotten from her.

"I'm questioning as to whether or not you believe that the way you've fawned over Miss Mabel to be similar to how the lady did to you, once." That question catches me off guard, surprisingly, raising an eyebrow as I keep eye contact with her.

"Eh? Not really, the way she acted was more, you know, sultry and manipulative. She wanted to change me, for better or for worse, I don't want Mabel to change herself. I want her to grow into her own person, I want to give her the fucking _chance _that this shitty world took from her. Hell, I don't even want her to see me as a role model, I'd prefer to just be a guardian of some kind until she grows up, whenever that may be. She's got a strong heart and a good head on her shoulders, I just want something to give her a chance to put that mind to use. Also, doing the exact same shit that she did to me with a kid is fucking _gross, _I don't care that she's _technically_ gonna be an adult soon or some shit cause of how they age." I end that little tirade with a huff, crossing my arms as I stick my tongue out to her. I know that I could've kept that to myself and her opinion would be the same though. To my surprise, I _can _see the edge of a lip curl upwards, only very slightly and on one side, but I can see it!

"It's a wonder to all that you harbour in your mind as to how you've latched onto the girl so closely, though it could potentially be for the better. A strong connection to clear the soul could do well with both parties after all."

"I can see _exactly _what you mean right now ice queen, I can see that smile of yours through your icy facade!"

"Perhaps your current nature has rubbed off in this room in some way, your 'little buddy' would appreciate such a change. Though I'm not sure on how ice queen is a suitable name for myself, nor should one be given to me."

"Oh? Do you have an idea on what your name should be?"

"It will not be required, though your persistence is noted."

"The longer I remember you, the more of a chance that I'll get to call you something for once, other than 'that lady' anyways." A sudden fatiguing wave washes over my body, my eyelids growing heavy as the room itself rumbles, clutching to the table for support as I look around. Wha- ah, right.

"It looks as if we've run out of time, Zeke. You're due to awaken soon." A small smile falls on my face as I chuckle, giving the lady a wink.

"Same time tomorrow night, deary?"

"Potentially, should your mind and the higher powers allow such a thing." The darkness creeps along the edge of my vision, encircling and smothering even as I give the icy lady a small, final nod.

"Good night, Zeke."

And a good morning to her.

**Author's note: an extra long chapter for the small wait, though this will probably be an exception rather than a rule to chapter size. It was fun though, and I'd rather this than split it in two, though that mightn't be for everyone. Whata shitty hiatus, I accidentally a 10k chapter when I'm meant to be chilling.**


	48. Chapter 48

Consciousness slowly returns to me, the gentle ringing of bells and chimes accompanying an overwhelming and welcoming warmth that dances alongside it, my hand resting atop a soft mound of fur and warmth. Ah, I'm still dreaming then, aren't I? Or at least, I haven't come to full consciousness just yet and I'm _partially _dreaming. That's fine, I'm not gonna complain, this shit is warm as hell. I bring the warmth closer to my chest with a sigh of delight, I'll be more than happy to indulge in this for a bit longer, I'm surprised Adrian hasn't stuck his head into this to fuck with me.

I'm not quite sure how long I've spent in this half away state, a wondrous feeling of delight shoving itself into my limbs and pressing down. I don't wanna move anyways, this is like, the _best _I've ever gotten, I ain't gonna let it go just yet. A tired sounding sigh leaves my lips as I gently squeeze the ball of warmth, and yet, I've more than a few things to do today don't I? Mostly with Anna, definitely Anna, no idea why I have such a feeling of ominous foreboding that clings to my mind when I think about our inevitable 'chat', bit there you go. There's also the little friend meet up that I promised Felicity, so long as her father allows it ,but I don't _wanna _move, son of a bitch.

**Ugh..**

Oh hey, a welcome distraction! How are you feeling Adrian?

**I feel like shit, like I've had someone mash my skull in with a hammer in the middle of a hangover.**

Ich, quite a description there Adrian.

**Go ich yourself, I don't even have the energy to properly snark you for being an annoying bastard.**

Now that's _genuinely_ worrying, you gonna be alright?

**I've been through worse, I live in your head after all.**

And now you're just lying to me, tsk tsk. I kinda figured that you'd find a way to give me your snide bullshit in some way or another, even if it's just that tiny bit. All that besides, you really should just try to lay low for today and try to relax, however possible that may be, given the whole shtick between us.

**Perhaps, though I'm somewhat hesitant to attempt so, I fully expect you to try to headbutt something hard to fuck with me to be honest.**

Hey, I'm dumb, but I'm not intentionally malicious or anything, for the most part anyways. Seriously though, there's nothing wrong with taking a break, I'm the one walking around anyways.

**I'm sure it'll fade eventually, but why do you care so much to begin with?**

What sort of question is that? You're a friend, inside my mind or not, why wouldn't I care? That seems to force the man to pause for a while, my eyelids twitching for a moment, on the verge of being forced open. C'mon, lemme enjoy this dammit!

**...just, stay out of trouble please? If you need me for whatever reason, just yell for me. I'm gonna pray to whatever god's above us in hopes that you don't fuck this up somehow.**

I'll do my best, just try your best to relax, okay? He seems to take his leave with that send off, I can feel him burrowing his way back into my skull, and I can't help but worry, just a little bit. Is he okay, did I do something to him? I purse my lips together as I squrim in the blankets, the allure of sleep fading into dark. Well fuck me then, no chance I fall back asleep now.

I rub away the sleep that clings to my eye as they open, my vision filled with brown and white. I pull myself away from the wonderfully warm mound of fluff, the sudden lack of heat biting into my chest. Wha? What's going o- Ah, right, Mabel and stuff, we fell asleep didn't we? Shit, how the fuck could I forget about all that? A small smile pushes its way onto my face as I bring her sleeping form closer, the girls loud purring filling my ears. I really don't know how I couldn't hear the purring, I guess I must've been in my own world.

I don't have the heart to wake her, so I resign myself to being a fuzzy pillow for her, a soft smile on her face as she continues to snooze away. It feels odd to keep such an eye on her while she's asleep, but it's an endearing sight, nothing but a look of comfort and peace smattered across her face. This is probably one of the few times she's had a bed to sleep on, and I wouldn't wanna pull her away from that so soon. It's, I really think she needs something like this, even if it's just for a little bit.

I can feel her shudder within my grasp while her nose twitches, a soft whimper piercing through the once still air, her hands clenching together. I feel a grimace force its way onto my face along with the clenching in my chest, gently pulling her even closer into the warmth, a hand massaging one of her twitching ears in an attempt to soothe her. It seems to some good, the whimpering slowly stifling as the clenching of her hands soften and slows, her soft breathing returning once more. My heart aches for the poor girl as I look over her now calmed body, even _if_ that single dream was warded off, it's just a temporary solution for a longer lasting issue. Fuck, I wish I was better with kids, but this will have to do for now.

I hum to myself as she shuffles within my grasp, the girl mumbling softly as she awakens, it's a rather slow process that I can't fault her for. She slowly blinks away the sleep, looking up to me with a barely awake stare, half lidded eyes obscuring most of her glowing golden eyes.

"Bad dream, kid?" It's far from a fantastic question, the answer's rather obvious after all, but she gives me a small nod before resting her forehead against my chest. I guess I _am _the pillow here, it works for me.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She shakes her head, a very slow and deliberate answer, her shuddering breath only amplifies it too. I can feel my heart ache some more as I smile sadly, rubbing a digit behind her ear, ever so softly.

"No pressure, kid. We'll stay here for a bit longer, you deserve it." I speak in a low voice to her, petting her head in a slow and soft rhythm, that shuddering and terrible breathing slowly dissipating. She mumbled aloud as she shifts her head, a small frown on her face as she looks to the door.

"Miss Anna.." Her voice is soft and throaty, that frown only deepening as she continues to stare. Anna, eh? Why's she worried about her?

"Are you worried that she'd be upset if we sleep in?" I take a stab in the dark as I keep an eye on her. She doesn't answer verbally, softly nodding as she leans back against me. Huh, I'm surprised that I guessed it correctly there. "She won't mind it, she'd _want_ you to get some more sleep."

"Are you sure?" She places her chin against my chest as she looks up to me, her eyes glowing in the lingering darkness of the room. I smile and ruffle her hair, chuckling softly as her ears twitch. I'm gonna die from a sugar overdose from this kid, sweet girl.

"Without a doubt in my mind, Mabel, I swear on it. If anything, she'd probably wanna yell at _me_ for something or other, hell if I know why." My little grumbling isn't meant to be serious in the slightest, and I'm glad that the kid doesn't take it that way either, her lovely little giggling chiming within my head as she relaxes into the bed. I continue to smile as I caress her head, her purring returning once more as she nudges into my hand. Heh, she really reminds me of a cat right now.

We'll have to get up eventually, no doubt about it, plans and food and whatnot. But just lazing in with her for a bit so she can relax is more than fine enough with me. A yawn breaks through my maw, my smile widening as the kids muffled giggling echoes in the air. You know what? I don't think a bit more of a nap would do either of us any harm.

Just a few more minutes

….

The air it's needlessly stiff and tense as Anna glares into me with a resolute focus, her fingers drumming against the table. Mabel squirms in her seat with an uncomfortable look across her face, my gaze shifting between the two of them mid movement.

_"Zeke." _That single word is a barely veiled warning mixed between a scalding tone, the furrow of her brow deepening with each passing second.

"Anna." I say with a level tone of my own, meeting her glare with a calm stare, wiggling the plate as I do so. I don't know why she's making this such a big deal.

"Eat your damned breakfast."

"But I'm not _that _hungry."

"Do _not _paw off your plate to the kid."

"But she needs food."

"So do you."

"I'm really not hungry, Anna."

"Your cheeks look sunken in and I know you haven't eaten since last night, eat the breakfast that I've cooked up dammit."

"A growing kid needs food."

"You are the growing kid."

"Anna please, I'm an adult."

"Not under this roof." Her lips purse together into a thin line as she continues her assault, I can see her fingers barely twitch, the echoes of a phantom pain forcing my ear to twitch and burn.

"Fine, I won't be happy about it though." I finally cave in with a huff, sticking my tongue out to the proud looking woman, the light giggling from the kid successfully defusing the tense atmosphere.

"Good kid." I grumble underneath my breath as I shove a stick of meat into my mouth, the corners of her smile visible in spite of the cup she raised to her lips. The food tasted good and everything, far better than whatever muck I can grab from an inn, but I don't exactly feel the need to eat that much. Maybe that's why she shoved a bit more food onto Mabels plate, to discourage me from trying to give her more, didn't really work too well. Kid still ate it all up in a flash though, gnawing and consuming the food with a ravenous glee, it felt nice to watch her dig into food of some kind. I still have no idea what she gives the kid to drink, but she seems to enjoy it.

The rest of the meal passes without incident, though I grumble again as Anna ruffles my hair while she collects the mees. I feel mildly mocked and scolded, treated as if I was just a kid… but the kid's smiling and laughing, that gives me more joy than whatever pride I have. Anna looks somewhat nervous as she sits back down again, returning to downing whatever's in her cup. Right, I'm not gonna let this get awkward for no reason.

"What's eating you, Anna?" I break the silence swiftly, my chin resting atop a palm as I look over her face. I can't help but frown as she sighs, a hand raised to rub at her temple. Saying that she looks stressed would be an understatement, there's more wrinkles on her face than I can remember. God dammit, now I just feel bad.

"Sorry, kids, I'm just thinking is all."

"Penny for your thoughts, miss Anna? As long as you wanna chat about it is all." She sighs again and nurses her cup, fingers wrapped around it nervously. Shit, does she need a hug or something?

"Mn, it's just about the things that I want to talk about with you. I just need a bit more time to prepare, and I'd rather not have the child overhear it all, for her sake." She seems rather solemn as she looks down to the table, my frown deepening as I examine her just that bit closer. Ah, I think I know what she means by 'preparing', at least from what I can see.

"Anna, l _really _hope you're not tearing your hair out because of me, I'd just feel worse ya know?" She snorts a little as she nods, finishing the rest of her cup. The smile on her face doesn't reach her eyes, but it's better than nothing I guess.

"Perhaps it's my nature to worry, then, it's something I do often."

"Then you need to try to stop that flood, for your own sake." She doesn't look entirely convinced by that, she looks mired by her own thoughts over anything else, what the hell could be plaguing her so much? I stand silently and slink over to her, pulling her into a somewhat uncomfortable feeling hug that I have to lean over for, but she seems soothed enough by it. "You nursed me back to health from the brink of death, I wouldn't want you to stress half to death because of me."

"I know kid, I know." She sighs dejectedly as she returns the hug, though it's a half hearted attempt. She really needs to relax for a bit, hm…

"Tell you what? I wanna get out with Mabel for a bit, take her to see a friend and all that jazz, you really should use that time to relax. Brew some more tea, take a nap, do whatever old people do to chill, your hair's gonna turn white at this rate." That gets an entertaining snort out of her, the woman brushing my arms off of her with a renewed energy.

"Alright alright, fine, get outta here kids. Don't get into trouble or anything."

"C'mon Anna, I'm the pinnacle of a peaceful day." She raises an eyebrow as I waltz over to the kid, rolling my eyes. Maybe I don't have the best track record, but I'm gonna put it all down to fluctuating luck. "You ready to go meet up with your friend, kid?"

Mabels little beam is a wonderful thing, the girl nodding rapidly as she pushes herself off of seat. She seems genuinely excited to meet a friend, and that's something I couldn't be happier for. She suddenly stops and stiffens mid way to the door, turning around to face Anna.

"T-thank you, Miss Anna." She manages tl squeak out, giving the woman a nervous but _adorable _bow. Annas smile returns to her face, a more honest and genuine one than before.

"You're welcome little miss, any time, at least one of you is thankful for such hospitality." She sends me a half hearted glare, chuckling as I roll my eyes in response to it all. I'm glad they're getting along at least. I unlock the latch to the door and shoe Mabel outta here, her body and bushy tail seems to shake around, I hope that's from excitement more than nerves. I hesitate for a moment before leaving the little cabin, my gloved hands catching on the door frame.

"...look after yourself Anna, please." I look to the woman with a frown on my face, a sense of worry stirring in my chest as I look over her. I do worry for her, and I feel bad for the lot of this.

"I'll be fine kid, now get outta here." It's hard to see any scathing bite from her when there's a charming little smile on her face, something of which I happily return. I give her a small nod before pulling the door shut, turning my back to the cabin and marching onwards. Hm, I feel like I'm forgetting something…

Ah, of course. The smile still stains my face as I unlatch my cloak, kneeling beside the keidran before fussing with it. Scarf or not, she looks warmer with the cloak on, and safer.

"Comfortable kid?" I ask aloud as I finish pulling it all together, her purple scarf leaking out of the oversized cloak, it's a cute sight. She smiles and nods, nudging into me, a chiming giggle flowing throughout the empty road as I ruffle her hair.

Though I still can't help but worry for Anna, she's gonna be okay, right? She can handle herself, and I can probably handle anything she brings up. I shake those thoughts from my head as I tighten the bad strap, worrying over it isn't gonna help me very much.

….

It feels odd to be waltzing around a town without most of my equipment on hand, as if I'm missing a piece of myself, it puts me on edge just that little bit more than I expected. My fingers twitch as I shove a fist into a pocket, the other tending to Mabels scalp. I'd like to imagine that it's helping soothe both of our nerves, even if a part of me wishes that I at least had the mana crystal that's hopefully still lodged into the cloak pocket. I hum to myself as we continue our little waltz together, keeping an eye and ear out for the other kid, and I assume her father too. Something tells me that the dads probably agreed to it, although it's just a hunch and nothing more.

"Hey, Zeke?" Mabels soft voice guides me away from my thoughts, a hum of acknowledgement coming from my chest as I look down to her.

"What's up kid, you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine but, where are we going? Where is Felicity?" I smile softly as she tilts her head, golden eyes looking up with an innocent stare. Awh, she remembered her name too, that's fucking adorable.

"Hell if I know kid, she's probably gonna show up and yank my tail or something." I respond with a lazy shrug, the kid giggling aloud as I ruffle her hair. "Are you excited to meet with her again?"

"Uh huh!" My smile widens as she beams, a flicker of delight rushing through my chest amongst the nerves. Hah, to see her so happy and excited for something, it's a delightful and happy thing to see. It's not the type of happiness I'm used to though, it lingers in the pits of my chest with a strange warm fuzziness, but I'm not gonna deny it. I hum to myself, twisting my head to look around the street. No red hair here that I can see, at least no one's really looking at us, that _does _give me an idea though.

"Hey kid, wanna help me find em?" I ask as I kneel beside her, hand still ruffling her hair. She tilts her head in confusion, her eyes wide as she stares at me, but she slowly nods. She lets out a small mewling yelp of surprise as I pull her into the air, it's a bit of a mess to get it all right, with the cloak and all, but she eventually rests comfortable on my shoulders. She squeaks again as her small hands grip my hair, her claws threatening to drag its way over my scalp. I uh, probably should've given the kid some warning huh? Whoops.

"W-wha? What's this for?" Her voice is a soft little squeak as she questions it all, reaching up and massaging my fingers behind her ears. It's a bit uncomfortable given her height, she seems a bit taller than I thought _before _I did this, but I'll sleep in the bed I've made. The poking of her claws dies down slowly as she relaxes into my hand, her hands softly clenching around my hair. There we go, much better, I don't wanna get shanked.

"So you can see a bit better of course, you're kinda tiny after all. Look out for anyone with red hair" She doesn't answer that beyond an indignant sounding huff, but she seems relatively calm about the situation, continuing our little wandering. This and the little conversation I had with that cold lady does make me wonder, though, how _old _is this kid? Cant really take a measured guess from her height, she's far from talk after all, but that could just be stunted growth from malnourishment during slavery and everything, it's hard to have someone run away when they don't have to the strength to after all. Pfeh, I feel bitter just thinking about that. I should ask someone some time, or I could ask the kid herself later. Why the fuck didn't I think of that from the sta-

"A-ah!" The girls panicked breathing brings me out of my thoughts first, followed by a hiss of pain that forces its way through my lip, the digging sensation of her claws burrowing it's way into my head. I wince and take a look around, a small panic setting in, what's going on? Ah, I uh, I can see the issue.

I purse my lips as I look around the open field, a swath of human heads poking out among one another as they force each other aside, a cacophonous symphony of nonsensical shouting rising above the lot of them. I've auto piloted into the town center, the trading hub that's filled with humans, with a kid who has a fear of humans. Small fuck up, hey Zeke? How the fuck did you manage this?

I curse underneath my breath as I dip into an alleyway away from the plaza looking up to face the kid as my hand returns to her head. Her lips are pursed together into a thin line, a stifled sounding whimper forcing its way out of her lips. Ah fuck, now I just feel like garbage. I slip the girl down my back and bring her in front of me, kneeling in return and holding her to my chest, my hands entangled in her head as I massage it as best as I can, my heart aching as her muffled whimpers press into my chest.

"Hey, hey kid, we're not walking in there, I promise you that much. We're gonna be walking around it if anything, I _promise._" I coo to the unsettled child, holding her into a close hug, I can feel my shirt becoming damper by the second from her tears. This is a compounding shit fest that's just making me feel like _extra_ garbage today, and after such a good start too. Doesn't help that I'm lying to her in a soft way, totally fucking forgot about her thing with humans, I have no fucking idea how, you stupid bastard! Shit shit shit.

I don't trust myself to _not _put my foot in my mouth, so I take to shutting the fuck up and holding the girl, a hand trailing up and down her back as she sobs. It takes a while for her to bring herself back down from it, her whimpering dying out as she mashes her face into my clothes. I'm not gonna get angry over it, it's basically my fault she's like this at the moment.

"We can turn back if you want it, I ca-"

"No!" Her voice is filled with a faltering determination as she pulls away from me, a frown plain on her face. She seems to fold in on herself as I stare at her, sniffling as she nudges her head into my chest

"N-no, I can handle it, I wanna see her, if it's okay still…"

"Of course kid, anything for ya." I smile sadly as I respond to her, keeping a soft hold of her as I do so, I can see her tail flicker underneath my cloak though, not entirely sure what that means, but she seems to be a lot less distraught than before.

"Hey Zeke, can I ask something?" She pipes up as she pulls away, a soft sniffle coming from her while her head tilts. I continue to smile as I bring up a hand, using the soft cloth of the cloak to rub away the streaks of tears that stain her fur. God did that make me feel like a heartless bastard, I feel like garbage now.

"Sure thing kid, feel free to ask anything." It's the least I could do for her, though I pray that there's certain questions she won't ask me.

"I've been meaning to ask for a bit, but why do you, ah, do that stuff?" She continues as I fix her hair, biting the insides of my cheeks to focus on the task, pulling away after a bit. The fur isn't perfectly dried by any means, but it's not as apparent at least.

"There we go, looking better already. What do you mean by 'that stuff' though, kid?" I can't help but feel a little bit guilty as I look down to her, having to answer her phone question with a question makes me feel cheap, though I'm not sure why. She looks a little bit concerned, or confused, looking down and away as she steps from paw to paw.

"The whole, you know, the _thing._" My confusion only grows as she huffs, mumbling to herself as she furrows her brow. Confused _and _frustrated, not a great combination there.

"Hey, it's okay kid. Can you show me what you mean?" She can't put it into words, but surely she can show me right? That seems to set up the lightbulb in her head, I can see her tail flicker between her legs as she holds out her arms, making a weird… petting motion, I think?

"You do that a lot, it feels weird, but a good weird! Hmf, I dunno what it's called, m'sorry..." Ah, it breaks my heart to see her so disappointed, especially in herself, a small sad pout in her face as she clasps her hands behind her back. I think I know what she means though.

"Do you mean petting?" I reach out and plant my hand between her ears, ruffling her hair to demonstrate, a soft smile appearing on her face as her ears twitch. Dammit kid, you're gonna kill me with the emotional whiplash from this shit.

"Is that what it's called?" She sounds so _sincere_ as she asks that, tilting her head while she does so. A nervous bubble stirs in my chest, a feeling of foreboding alongside it. I have a terrible _terrible _feeling about this topic, but I won't pull away from it, not from her.

"Yeah, it's called petting kid. I do it and give you hugs a lot cause, I dunno, I've always imagined that you need it, ya know? Doesn't help that I do it somewhat instinctively now, but I can stop if you want i-" The leftover air in my lungs is shoved out unceremoniously as she barrels into my chest, shaking her head all the while.

"P-please don't, please don't stop it. I like it, it's nice. I never knew it _could_ be nice, they w-were always so rough, it always h-hurt…" She trails off with a sniffle, the mix of tears and snot combining together in my shirt, but I couldn't care less. I hold the fragile little girl as close as I can, restraining myself from squeezing too roughly, or from showing my growing disdain for this shit fest. Deep breaths Zeke, deep breaths, the kid doesn't need to know how fucking _livid _you are

"You'll never have to worry about that again Mabel, so long as I live. I'll do anything to make you feel comfortable, and I'll keep those bad feelings and people away whenever I can." It takes far too much effort to keep my voice level as I whisper to her, it's a hoarse sounding thing that grates on my ears. She pulls away from me and looks up, her eyes watering and red from tears.

"Do you, do you _promise _promise?" She asks again, it doesn't sound like a question so much as a begging request from the girl. It hurts to see, it tugs at my chest and mind as I look down to her. My fingers twitch as I raise them to her face, my thumb brushing against her cheek and up to her ears. I hesitate for a moment, a flood of uncertainty washing over my limbs with a disgustingly cold bite. Shit, what am I doing_? Why _is the better question. I've already promised her this same thing right? Something about it feels more persona and more terrifying and unnerving because of it, whether it be from how close we are or from that stupid fucking dream is something that I'm unsure about.

I don't have much time to think about this, do I? I got a kid that's on the verge of tears _again _because she just found out what _affection _is, and this entire conversation is happening because of my misstep.

Ah, fuck it all then.

"Until the day I die, kid." I finally respond with a soft smile, leaning down to her and planting my lips atop her forehead. She freezes for a moment, her tail flickering wildly before she relaxes into my hands, her gentle purring echoing throughout the desolate and empty alleyway. Shit place for this type of conversation, but it'll do for now.

The feeling of fur on my lips isn't exactly a fantastic one, it's like I'm kissing a damn cat, but I linger for a few moments longer before pulling away regardless, there's a hazy yet happy look in her eyes as she looks up to me, that's such a cute smile. The momentary peace is shattered by her soft sniffle though, fear riding and taking a hold of my chest. You fucked up, didn't you Zeke? Mother fucker.

"S-sorry, I just, I remembered something." She seems rather embarrassed being caught in her own thoughts like that, a dusting of red coating her cheeks as she wrings her hands together. Heh, it's not like I don't do the same or anything.

"Was it a good memory, kid?" I decide to pry just a little bit as I pet her head, the girl surprisingly _nodding _in response.

"Y-yeah, I don't remember much, just someone else doing that to me. I dunno who, or when, sorry…" I hum to myself as I pull my hand away from her, gently booping her nose as a response, her nose crinkling up in return. God that's cute.

"Hey, a good memory is a good memory however you splice it, don't apologise for it either, it's not like I have the best memory either." She giggles lightly as I tap at my skull, a small smile on her face.

"R-really?"

"Yup, I've forgotten basically everything other than a few things that aren't the best, but that just makes the good memories all the more sweeter, ya know?"

"Yeah…" She doesn't exactly seem very enthusiastic about that, a determined feeling swelling in my chest as I ruffle her hair.

"And that means that someone somewhere probably wanted to keep you safe and happy, right?"

"Yeah…? I think so." Tsk, come on kid, I know you got that fire in you.

"And that makes you feel good doesn't it?"

"Y-yeah?"

"And you ain't gonna let some bed feelings fuck with your good feelings aren't you?"

"Yeah!" She stands that little bit higher, her golden eyes flickering with wild energy. Now we're fucking cooking! I'm glad she didn't recognise the cursing myself.

"You're gonna meet Felicity and have some god damned fun!"

"Yeah!"

"Well then let's get fucking going!" I cry out with a cheer as I stand up, a hand held high as she cheers along, guiding the both of us out of this awful alleyway. I can hear the girl let out a soft little cough, twisting my head to look at her, there's a nervous little smile on her face as she looks up with a smile. "You uh, wanna get on my shoulders, don't you?"

"Eheh, yeah." My smile still clings to my face as she rubs the back of her neck. Aw fuck, is she copying my mannerisms too? Has she done that before, cause that's fucking _adorable_. A chuckle of amusement slips past my lips as her shrill squeak echoes throughout the alleyway, shifting into place atop my shoulders. She grips my hair and jabs a free digit to the exit of this place, I don't need to see her face to know there's a smile on it.

I can't help but let out a small, mirthful chuckle as we finally leave, I hope the burden on her shoulders is as light as it can be. She deserves safety, and I'll do my best to give it to her however I can.

The weight of the kid on my shoulders is a far lighter weight than the one on my heart.

**Authors note: I pray that this isn't too rushed, I'm just trying to force this story back to its original upload schedule is all. Any tips is appreciated and whatnot, if there's any questions I'll take to answering them.**


	49. Chapter 49

Going around the town center was predictably easy and uneventful, did it take a while to actually accomplish? Yeah, could I have just forced her to walk through that mess? Definitely, but I already feel bad about _accidentally _doing it, it'd go to shit real quick if I proceeded to do the same thing on purpose. I hear the kid humming above me, barely visible out of the edges of my eyes, she's doing a good job at keeping watch for them at least.

...maybe I should stop talking to myself, I don't have Adrian in my head to actually respond to me and bounce ideas off, feels like it's a force of habit more than anything else. Fairly sure that's a little worrying to some people.

Speaking of that bastard, I wonder how he would feel about all of this, gods knows he doesn't exactly like kids, and here I am with one of my shoulders strutting around. At least no one's giving us too many weird looks, from what I've noticed anyways.

"I still d-don't see them…"

"Ah don't sweat it too much kid, I was serious when I said they'll show up sooner or later, call it a hunch." I squeeze the kids knee as I look up to her with a smile, Mabel smiling in return before resuming the task at hand. Maybe I should focus a bit more on trying to look around, however limited my view may be. It's an odd feeling to walk around like this with her, not an unwelcome feeling by any means though. It's just a normal stroll with a kid, a very endearing child that I care a lot about, nothing more and nothing less.

Ah fuck, I suck dick at lying to myself, apparently I'll do it straight faced to anyone else, what a bloody bother. Adrian's gonna have a fucking field day with this when he wakes up . Just ignore it for now, I'll figure this out later, get your head back in reality Zeke, and try not to run into anyone. And try not to fuck up with the kid later on while you're at it.

"Hey Mabel, you feeling okay?" I pipe up to break the admittedly comfortable silence between the both, I'd like a distraction from myself.

"Mn? I'm okay, is something wrong?" Ah fuck, she sounds so innocently sincere, and I can feel her eyes bore into the top of my skull.

"Nah, I just wanted to check up on you is all , kid." Now that's something I can answer truthfully _and _readily, flows off the tongue just fine.

"Are _you _okay, Zeke?" I can imagine her tilting her head as she asks that, her hands digging into my scalp just that little bit more. I'm perfectly fine, just internally shitting myself is all from this small venture because of responsibilities that I smashed my head into without thinking, I don't exactly think too much when I decide to do things, but that's normal.

"I'm all good kid, you shouldn't worry about me too much though." I throw my head back to look up, giving her a wink along with those words, saying it with faux bravado is a lot easier to do than trying to admit the truth, she deserves more than to worry about me. It doesn't have the intended effect though, the small pout on her face morphing into a soft and genuine frown.

"But I do worry, you didn't have to do a-anything for me…" I feel my heart shudder as she speaks, squeezing her leg ever so softly. God dammit, why'd I take this responsibility onto myself anyways? I wouldn't give it up, but still.

"I know kid, I wanted to, so I did. I'm an adult, you're a kid, you _should _be looked after." I respond to her with a resolute voice and nod, something that she smiles in return with, her hands gently pressing against my skull as she purrs, a bright and delighted stare as she continues to look down to me. Awh, I'm royally fucked aren't I? A distraction would be good. "Hey kid, you seem kinda talkative now, you used to be as quiet as a mouse."

"Is, is that bad? Should I stop it?" That awful frown returns to her face with a grim vengeance, her hands clutching my hair. Fuck, not the distraction I wanted!

"Fuck no kid, always speak your mind, especially to me. You have a voice you deserve to use." I hold my hand up beside her head as I speak, the girl smiling and nuzzling into it with glee. Ah fuck, I should keep the swearing to a minimum, Anna would have my head if she said half of the shit I say.

"O-okay, I'll try!" That's the best I could ask of her, I'll never try to actually push the kid too hard, baby steps. I can't help but smile a bit at her though, it's good to see that she's so openly affectionate, I think it's good anyways. Fuck, I feel like I'm awful with kids, at least _she's _happy about the circumstances, and that's better than nothing. Then again, anything is better than nothing, same goes for her childhood.

"It's a good thing that you're talking kid, I'm just surprised about it is all, so I wanna know why." I elaborate a little more as I pull my hand away from her after a short while, much to her immediate disappointment given the small whine. It twinges my heart strings a little, god she's cute.

"...I dunno, keeping quiet's the best option, but I feel…" She seems to struggle a little bit with that, wringing her hands together as she purses her lips.

"No rush kid, take your time." I assure her with a good hearted smile, taking my eyes off of her to dip out of the way of an oncoming crowd. Not doing that again.

"Better, I think? I dunno how to e-explain it, but it's a good thing, I think." She's stuttering a fair bit whenever she speaks, could she still be nervous about it? I wouldn't be surprised, but she could just be unused to talking much.

"Fair enough, I ain't gonna force you to give me a 'better' answer or anything, just wondering." I give her another smile and a squeeze of a leg before returning to the waltz. It's nice that she's that little more open though, she's growing to be that little bit more social, not sure if it's going quick or slow, but any step is better than none. It feels nice to get to know the kid too, I feel as if she's a lot smarter than she lets on, just restricted because of her past. Would she like books? Maybe I should teach her how to read, god I'm not excited about _writing _though, if she's gonna learn that from me, I _should _pass that off to someone else.

I stifle the oncoming groan as best I can, the noise fizzling out in my throat. By the gods, I'm kind of fucked aren't I?

"Hey, hey! There's red over there!" Her calls tear me from those thoughts as I shake my head, following her outstretched digit into the distance. A small bob of red hair in the distance disappears into a crowd, reappearing as she dips left, out of view. That's either Felicity or Lyn, then, either is good enough.

"Good eye kid, I didn't see em. Might wanna get a good grip though." I shuffle her around my shoulders for a moment as I grip her legs, the girl letting out a confused sounding mumble before taking a tighter hold on my hair. Her shrill squeaks fills the air as I take off into a half sprint, the squeaking giving way to a soft giggle over time, taking _very _careful precaution not to fuck up my center of balance. I mutter half apologies to the people I brush past, trying my best to not nudge them, getting more than a few scornful jeers and scornful heckling as I do so. I've heard worse, so it's easy to brush them off, and judging from the giggling above me, Mabel doesn't exactly hear the bastards. I feel Mabel lean off of me as I take a sharp left, keeping as tight a hold of her as possible to keep her steady, praying that it doesn't hurt her. There's a small yelp from the sudden turn but nothing more, a small breath of relief leaving my lips as I continue the run, thank god.

I feel my body chirp with renewed vigor as that blur of red appears in the distance, stopping for a moment. The kids a boundless source of energy, swear to fuck.

"Hey, Felicity!" I call out to her as I pick up the pace, Mabels little giggling falling for a moment as she echoes me. Heh, how cute. The blur becomes that little more defined as we approach, morphing into an actual girl with her hand raised high, calling out to us in return. There's a man who moves to stand beside her though, old and gruff looking with a face of stone, unmoving and unblinking. The area around here isn't as boxed in as the rest of the town, and although wild, it's far less decrepit than the slum parts of the town. Never gonna take Mabel there, not a fucking chance. At least this place looks open to run around and… do kids stuff, do kids play tag here or what? What does a kid do to have fun anyways?

"Heya Fuzzy! We were looking for you two!" She calls out cheerfully as we approach, my claws clicking against the stone as I stop in front of them.

"And we were doing the same, funny that." I respond in kind as I slide the kid off of my back, landing on the ground with a soft huff of air. Her hair looks a little bit frazzled and fur wind swept, but there's a smile on her face.

"Daaaaad, why can't you carry me like that?" She pouts as she whines, leaning against her father and looking upwards.

"My back ain't the best, and you're getting a bit too heavy dear."

"Are you calling me fat?"

"Maybe, don't tell your mother that." I can't help but snicker at the exchange, the human kid huffing aloud once more as she looks away. He's a stern looking figure of a man with a resting face to match, a plain but wrinkled visage. I know I've met him before, but I can't bloody remember his name, god dammit.

"Nice to meet you, names Zeke, just in case you forgot it." I introduce myself with an outstretched hand as I approach him, a soft smile on his face. He seems to give me a quick look up and down my body before clasping his hand with mine. His hand is hardened and calloused, almost on the verge of unpleasantly rough.

"Cleon, because I know you forgot it." He doesn't sound accusatory or anything with that reply, just factual, but it makes me wince a little bit in return.

"Saw straight through me, here I thought that I could play it off without you finding it out."

"Not likely, we didn't exactly meet for very long. Lyn reminded me too." He says that with a gruff sounding chuckle as he pulls his hand away, I swear to fuck, if his hands were any rougher, he'd have torn my flesh away with it. Probably a _slight _exaggeration, but still.

"So, I assume you and Lyn are okay with all this happening?" I make a small motion to the kid beside me, a small nervous smile on her face as she looks up to the man. I can't help but rest a hand on her head though and pet away, I didn't think she _wouldn't_ hide behind my legs like usual, when'd she grow up so fast?

"More or less." He says with a grunt, small eyes wincing as Felicity cheers beside him, dancing around his stoic and still frame. "Between the two of em, I wasn't given much of a choice."

I hum to myself as I look over the man, to say he sounds like a reserved man would be an understatement, though his gaze softens ever so slightly as he looks down to his kid. I can't get a very good read of him at the moment though, but I imagine that he's not saying any of that out of genuine resentment.

"Daaaaad, can we play now?" Felicity cuts off my thoughts with a whine and a huff, leaning into his legs again.

"Only if the other two allow it, dear. Is she ready?" I hear Felicity groan aloud once more as I turn my head to Mabel, bringing her close and squeezing lightly.

"Are you _absolutely _sure you're ready, kid?" I whisper softly to her, my eyes shifting from the pair and back to her. She hesitates for a moment, her lips pursed together and her nose twitching. I smile lightly and nudge my forehead against hers, it seems to bring her out of her thoughts. I know just how distracting those can be.

"Y-yeah, I think so." She whispers in return, the determined look in her eyes and on her face clashes with the demure tone of her voice. "Can you take this cloak off?"

"No problem kid." I give her head a quick ruffle before tending to the cloak, unlatching it and throwing it over my shoulder, just in case she wants it later. I hum to myself, looking over her for a moment before fixing her scarf a little, it's come a little undone from the run it seems.

"Come ooooooon, old people are so slow." Felicity sounds like a far from patient kid, I guess that's kind of obvious by this point though. I roll my eyes, although she can't see it, a smile on my face as Mabel giggles. I finally stand upright after a few moments, the scarf looks tucked in enough, hopefully it doesn't come undone too quickly.

"Alright, off you two go then, go do uh… whatever you kids do." I finally announce to the pair, Felicity letting out a _somewhat _exaggerated groan of relief.

"Fiiiinally, let's go play, I'll teach ya things!" Felicity takes a hold on one of Mabel hands, borderline _dragging_ her off and away from us, the keidran letting out a little squeak of surprise from the ordeal, stumbling after the human. I give the two of them a small wave, at least Mabel attempts to return it when she's not being shaken.

"What does she mean by 'teach her'?" I pipe up, leaning against a wall as I look to the man. Still looks as impassive as before, I feel like I should be able to read _something_ from him, I've seen more visible emotions from bricks.

"Lyn told her that your kid probably doesn't know much bout kid things, so she's taking it upon herself to teach her." The way he talks makes it sound as if he gargles gravel for a living, though at least he sounds like an honest man. I nod along with him, turning my sights over to the kids. I can't exactly hear what they're saying, not without trying a bit too hard of course, but Mabel seems pretty attentive to whatever's being discussed, nodding along with the human.

"You don't mind about us ah, not exactly being human?"

"Not particularly, never paid attention to you lot, so long as you don't cause trouble. Neither her nor my wife have an issue with it, so I don't either." My ears twitch as I glance to him at the edges of my vision, raising an eyebrow. You lot? What doe- ah, he probably thinks I'm a keidran too, not surprising. Well, if he doesn't care, then who am I to correct him about semantics?

"Fair enough, you all have my thanks for that."

"Not a problem kid." I purse my lips together and shuffle from paw to paw, mumbling internally. Too old to a kid and I'm a kid to everyone else, god dammit. The conversation dies down soon after that though, it's a comfortable silence at least, a smile on my face as the two of them chase after one another, Mabels purple scarf flowing in the wind and trailing behind her, I can see that great big smile on her face even from here, eyes dancing with a childish joy. It's, it feels nice to see her being happy like this, being an actual _child _instead of a slave, and I'm glad that she's taking to it so easily too. Here I was being worried that she'd be taken aback from it all, it's a somewhat drastic change.

Hey, wait a fucking minute.

"I uh, just realised what you said actually, she's not _my _kid. I'm just looking after her for now, nothing more." I finally speak up to clarify the mess, rubbing the back of my neck as I do so. It's a pitifully weak sounding argument though, I can't even believe it myself.

"Coulda fooled me." He replies with a shrug, he sounds oddly casual despite the stern look on his face, his eyes never leaving the pair. Or just his kid, either way he looks like he's brushing off what I say.

"You don't exactly seem convinced."

"Cause I ain't kid, thought that was obvious." I can't help but flinch for a bit, man's as blunt as a rock, he doesn't even need to be looking at me for me to feel as if he's glaring too.

"Well I'm being honest, she's not related to me or anything."

"Didn't realise kids needed to be yours by blood to count."

"She doesn't, but I haven't adopted her or anything." I'm trying my best to recover here, but the way my throat clogs up ever so slightly as I talk isn't exactly doing me any favours. He tears his sight away from the two to look over at me, his eyes staring into mind, they look cold and focused, a piercing gaze. Fantastic, first thing I can read from the dude and it's him seeing through my bullshit. This is gonna turn to shit real quick.

"You're full of shit kid, you're a scared little shit aren't you?" And just like that, the dam fucking _shatters_ with a strained groan, mashing the back of my skull against the wood behind me, I can feel my face morphing into a pained grimace. God I hope no one else notices this, least of all the kid.

"Ahhhh Jesus fucking Christ I'm _terrified_, I didn't think I'd get attached so fucking quickly, I just wanted to keep her _safe_. I-I-I ain't a fucking parent or anything, there's no way the kid would _see _me as one, and I don't _want _to be seen as one. A parent should be a role model for their kid, or a rock to hold onto or something, I have no fucking idea wh-" A rough grip interrupts my tirade, Cleon standing beside me with an impassive look on his face, his grip tightening after a moment.

"Kid, you need to calm down and breathe before you knock yourself out." He warns with a cool tone, eyes blinking slowly as he stares. I haven't even noticed the clenching of my throat making a return, the squeezing around my lungs suddenly just a _little _bit noticeable.

"I didn't, ah fuck. Okay, you're right, sorry." I feel my face burn as the elder man continues to stare, taking in a deep breath to sedate my nerves. Shit, that hasn't happened in a while, and it wasn't even when I was surrounded by people this time around. That's, somewhat worrying, ich. He grunts and nods, taking his hand off of my shoulder, there's a lingering pain from the roughness of it that slowly ebbs away.

"Feel better?" He asks as he stands beside me, arms crossed and looking over me in the corner of his eye, his attention returning to the kids.

"Y-yeah, I think so anyways." I let out a relieved sigh as I follow his stare. They look so uncaring, so _free_, something that Mabel welcomes with open arms and a beaming glow, the keidran hot on the heels of the other. And here I am shitting myself over this, god dammit.

"How old are you kid?" I blink in surprise, that's not exactly a question I expected to hear from him. I hum to myself for a moment, a hand fiddling with the cloak.

"I'm not entirely sure, always thought I was twenty something though, seems like a right enough age."

"You ain't sure?"

"Amnesia is a bastard, ya know?" I remember when I used to be kind of frightened about being an amnesiac, and here I am telling it to someone I've met once, funny that.

"Hm, wouldn't know myself, but I could imagine. You're going into this pretty bloody young _and_ blind then."

"I'm not that young, and I don't want to be going into _anything_."

"So what are you gonna try to do then, keep a hold of her before offloading her to someone else? You gonna try to find her parents? The Templars would gut you if you tried to set her free." A sigh pushes past my lips as I rub my temple, frustration bubbling in my chest and spreading throughout my limbs, I can feel the man's heated stare bore into me.

"I have no fucking clue, I thought about trying to find her parents, but that's a needle in a fucking haystack that'd shank me if I tried. Fuck the Templars too, I know there's some good ones in there, but their laws are shit. I want her to be _free_, I want her to have the chance to be a kid." I hiss through clenched teeth, squeezing my eyes shut. Fucking Templars, fucking Trace too, garbage laws that forces people to do shit things. I shake my head and try to take in as deep a breath as possible, exhaling soon after, slow and steady Zeke, there's no need to get pissed at this. It doesn't help.

"Do you care for her?" My head snaps up to face the man, an eyebrow raised as I return his stare, his cracked lips pursed into a thin line

"Yeah? Of course I do."

"Would you trade that care for anything?"

"Fuck no."

"Are you gonna take care of her?"

"Until the day I die, I've made a promise and I'm not gonna break it." That's something I will always staunchly stand by, whatever's going through my head, I'll do what I need to do to keep her safe and happy. Cleons firm stare falters for a moment as he sighs, a surprisingly… _almost_ gentle look on his face taking its place, the edges of his lips curled up into a faint smile.

"You're young and nervous, I get that kid, maybe it ain't my place to say, but as long as you keep to that promise, it'll be something she'll always be thankful for. Cant say I understand kids very well, that's something I've left for my wife to do, but keeping em safe is a good enough start to help em." I nod along with his words, an oddly soft and melancholic tone to them, his eyes looking back over to the pair. I _think_ I know what he's talking about? I hum to myself and shuffle on the spot a bit, the fuck do I say to this?

"Why are you helping me anyways? I don't wanna sound too skeptical, but still." Cleons immediate response is a chuckle, and to clasp his hand on my shoulder once more. It feels a lot less heavy handed than before, a more gentle touch to it, not that it changes the feeling too much.

"I was a little like you, a good decade ago, shitting myself over fatherhood, it was far from the best time for Lyn and I, and yet…" He trails off with a smile, his dark eyes looking over to the kids, _his _kid specifically. "I wouldn't trade it for the world."

I didn't expect a man who sounds like he gargles gravel to sound so soft, but here I am, following his stare as I check over Mabel. She's still smiling, her glee plain on her face as she sits beside Felicity, fangs bared into a wide grin. I'm still not sure about all this, not that it'd change what I do regardless, though at least my lungs don't feel like they're gonna cave in on itself from nerves alone.

"Didn't think you'd be so soft Cleon. But, thanks for that, I'm being honest."

"I know you are kid, but don't go sharing it around." The silence between the two of us is comfortable enough, my smile still straining my face as I keep an eye on the girl. Hm, I do need to chat to Anna some time today about whatever she's doing, and I can't bring myself to tear Mabel away from her friend.

Her _first _friend, one her age anyways, or at least close enough.

"Hey, Cleon?"

"Mn?"

"Do you think you could look after Mabel for a bit? I have something to do, and Anna doesn't think she should be there to see it." He raises his eyebrow as I ask, it feels weird to ask a favour from him so soon after meeting him, but I'll take my chances.

"Sure, I won't pry into your business. You gonna take long?"

"I'm not sure really, she didn't give me a time frame."

"Mn, I'd say we'll stay here, but Felicity ain't a girl who likes to sit still still. This is the most I've seen Felicity stay in one place for a while, but if we need to wait around for you to come back, we'll be at the inn."

"The inn?"

"Yep, it's an easy enough landmark to remember, and you ain't a stranger to bringing kids there?" I roll my eyes and groan aloud, a smile on my face despite the ribbing and a chuckle coming from him.

"I hope that I won't take long, but I'll meet you there if I take a bit. I'll just ask Mabel if she's gonna be okay with staying with you two." He gives me a small wave as I shove myself off of the wall.

"Hey, kid." A questioning hum escapes my throat as I stop mid step, turning back to face the man.

"What's up?"

"Don't tell my kid or wife that I've been swearing, I don't want Lyn to rip my head off." An uncharacteristic shudder seems to run through the man, much to my amusement. Lyn doesn't look like a scary woman, maybe it's a marriage thing, maybe it's a love thing too, hell if I know.

"I've never heard such a thing from you before." I wink before turning away from him, waltzing my way over to the pair and waving to catch Mabels attention. Her ears perk up as she looks my way, smile still staining her face as she stumbles onto two feet, running towards before lunging into my stomach, grunting as she smashes her head into my chest. Jesus Christ, there was some force behind that.

"Having fun kid?" I chuckle as I wrap my arms around her, kneeling to her height and holding her close, squeezing lightly before pulling away.

"Mhm mhm!" Ah, she sounds so happy and cheerful, the radiance of her toothy grin only seems stronger when I'm this close to her, the thudding of my heart slowing as I ruffle her hair. Her light purring fills the air for the brevity of the petting before I pull away, the happiness on her face marred by concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's good kid, I just wanted to chat with you for a second. I gotta go talk to miss Anna for a few things, and I think you're having plenty of fun with Felicity, do you want to stay here while I go deal with Anna? They'll look after you, I promise they're on our side, but I won't force you to stay here." I explain the situation to her as best as I can, the girl shuffling in place for a few moments, her face contorting as she frowns.

"...are you s-sure it's okay?" She whispers softly as she looks up to me, her eyes open and innocent, a hopeful look to it. I smile and rub my thumb over her cheek, her purring returning as she relaxes into my hand. Ah, this kid's gonna kill me some day.

"Without a doubt in my mind, little Mabel. Now, is that a yes or...?" A shrill sounding squeak is her answer, as is her mashing her face into my chest, I can't tell if the nodding is an extra answer to the question or something else entirely. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close though, my hand rubbing her back as I do so. God bless this kid. "Hey, Felicity."

"Huh?" She doesn't seem to have paid too much attention to what's going on between Mabel and I judging from the look of surprise on her face, probably thought this was boring old person stuff.

"You'll look after my kid, won't ya? She'll be needing protecting after all." Not a very serious question, and I ask her in a light hearted manner, but she seems to take it in stride, a cocky grin on her face as she plants her fists on her hips.

"Yup yup! If anyone tries anything, I'll beat em up!" I can't help but chuckle a little at the enthusiasm, though I hope that nothing _actually _occurs, at least the kid feels like she's being useful. Hell, maybe she does know how to scrap, she looks like a rough and tumble girl after all.

"I'll be counting on ya. See you soon, Mabel." I ruffle her hair a final time before walking off, turning back to wave to the pair of them, at least Mabel returns the wave with a bright grin on her face. I give Cleon a last glance before rounding a corner, there's a small smile on his face as he nods.

I sigh to myself, a happy feeling one at that, it feels like there's a weight being lifted off of my shoulders from it. Always thought Cleon was a rough and stern man, but the advice at least feels helpful.

I pick up the pace as I march towards Annas home, ignoring the side long glances and muttering of whoever's around as I run past them, claws clattering against the stone beneath as I throw my cloak on. Hopefully the path there isn't a distracting one.

…I called Mabel 'my kid', I've only just realised that, must've rolled off of my tongue before I realised. It doesn't feel that bad to think about it like that anymore.

….

A somber silence reigns over the cottage as the door squeaks open, popping my head into the room first. I take a brief look around the living room, a fragrance lingering in the air, an almost lavender scent. Anna's nowhere to be soon though, furrowing my brow as I push my way inwards, the door squeaking closed behind me, pursing my lips together as I delve deeper. This is definitely not ominous, not at all. I wish Adrian was here, for some semblance of comfort.

A shiver runs up my spine as my claws click against the wood, my hand moving up to grasp at a blade that's not there, cursing myself internally. Have I really grown that suspicious over time, to the point where even a place of safety can set off my nerves? I sigh softly before letting my arms fall limply to my side, a sense of shame flooding my veins.

"Hey Anna, you in here?" I call out to the silence, the cottage replying with an echoing thumping.

"Shit, give me a minute." Her reply is hasty and muffled, but audible enough. I hum to myself and take a seat at the table, drumming my fingers against the table to pass the time. The nerves under my skin can't help but jolt around, an anxious feeling bubbling in my chest. So close to talking to her, and it's all the more frustrating to do so, what a pain.

My ears twitch upwards as the creek of door opening echoes throughout the house, followed by hurried steps, Anna finally appearing in the light. Her smile seems a bit strained but otherwise welcoming, the hand raised to her chest glows unnaturally, a box lagging behind her. It looks like she's lugging it around with magic, better than doing it physically I guess.

"Sorry kid, didn't think you'd be back so soon, kinda put off some things." She speaks with an apologetic tone, the smile on her face appearing a bit sadder than before, a frown morphing on my own.

"Are you okay Anna? Do you need help?" I begin to move out of the chair as I speak, stopping as she holds up a hand.

"I'm alright kid, just sit down, there's some things I wanna ask you about." Her voice is soft and measured as she smiles, taking a seat opposite, my heart beating that little bit faster as she plants the box onto the table. Does she really have to say it like that? She's gonna give me a heart attack, and what's with the box?

"Such as?" I wince a little after I speak, I sounded a bit too defensive there. If she notices it, she doesn't show it, at least visually.

"What have you been up to since you left?" Ah, that's an innocent sounding question, and it's something I probably should've expected really. Of _course _she'd wanna know what I've been doing, she's probably been worried sick.

The story I spin for her isn't a very complicated one, a whole lotta walking mostly, as well as what we've been doing in those towns, I tell her as much as I can remember anyways. It's oddly hard to recall some parts of it, I remember Levi at least a little, and that nobleman I scared shitless, which I still feel bad about. But I don't remember much else from there, and there's a guilty feeling in my heart over it too, I should probably at least try to make up for that.

Wreathwood is a different story, that place is plenty memorable, from Mabel to the little scuffles I got in and the ambushes beforehand, I miss that place for the most part. I miss the sea, the salty smell of it is something that I can still recall. I don't tell her much about certain things, mostly the whole Templar related issue with Alex, it doesn't _seem _too important, at least to me. She seemed pleased to hear about the assassins oddly enough, a small smile on her face. How odd. Thankfully she doesn't interrupt anything, her only reactions being gentle nodding and the raising of her brow, keeping quiet otherwise,

"And that's more or less everything, that I can remember at least. I'm, eheh, kind of a bad person to go to when you wanna hear things that've happened, my memory is shit." I apologise to the patient woman with a burning sensation in my face, rubbing the back of my neck. She chuckled, it's a polite sounding noise that goes well with the gentle smile on her face.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you kid?"

"Well, I guess so. It's only been a weekish since I've left, so it could've been worse."

"And yet you've changed so much, have you noticed that?" Now that little question rings in my chest, wincing in reaction as she keeps her eyes on me, a sharp glint in her blue eyes.

"Yeah, just a little." I respond with a shrug, there's not much to add onto it, unless she wants to pry into it. She smiles sadly and reaches over to me, her hand clasping my shoulder with a surprising firmness.

"I know that look in your eye, Zeke, I've seen it in plenty of eyes. You've done something that you regret haven't you? I can see it weigh on you even now." She speaks softly, so smoothly, as if gently trying to nudge me into talking about it. I shuffle a little in my seat, a moment of anxiousness taking a hold of my chest. She knows even if I don't say it, and she'll probably understand.

"I murdered three keidran, done it a little bit ago, and I'm a _little _bit jumpy over small things, both because of that incident and other stuff." I say it plain and simply, in as flat of a tone as I can anyways, through a cold chill still runs up my spine with a shudder. I guess I'm not as over it as I thought, or maybe it's because I'm saying it in front of Anna.

"I see, do you want to talk about any of it?" She offers softly as she pulls away, an understanding smile on her face.

"I'm over the ambushing and the killing, for the most part anyways. Being jumpy around things probably ain't gonna stop any time soon, there's nothing wrong with being cautious after all, but I'll keep your offer in mind Anna." I respond with a smile of my own as I meet her stare. She seems worried still, but doesn't push the issue, nodding in response.

"Alright, I just wanted to make sure that you're okay is all kid. Now, let's get down to business, shall we?" She seems hesitant to continue despite her words, her strained smile returning.

"I figured there was more to this than just catching up, what's going on?" She purses her lips together, her hesitation continuing for a moment longer.

"This is for you." She answers cryptically, shoving the box over to me with a wave of a hand. I look between her and the object, swallowing down the building worry in my throat as I flip the lid to it open.

I pull out the hunk of metal held within, the otherwise bland chest piece is charred and cracked in some places, well worn from fire and battle. There's an ashen stench that hangs around it, a shudder running up my spine as my nose crinkles from the smell alone. Tattered and burnt bits of a robe clings to the inside, whether it's black by design or by fire, I'm not entirely sure. The Templar emblem is emblazoned on the forefront of it like a medal, it looks as if it's meant to be worn as a mark of pride or status, though it's marred by soot and darkened, bent in places and terribly misshapen.

"This, this is..." My armour, this is _my armour_, I remember this! Was that the first dream, or the second? I was wearing it when I first remembered that emerald chick. An odd sense of nostalgia seems to weigh on my shoulders as I look over the mangled piece of metal, it doesn't look very usable in its current state. Gods, how much time would I have spent with this thing to feel like this even now? I must've personalised it a fair bit for it to end up as it was, before the attack anyways.

"That is something I should've given to you ages ago, dear Zeke. I have had a personal hatred towards those Templars for a long time, it's only been worse since _Trace _became the Grand templar." She spits his hand with a loathing venom, her face contorted into an ugly expression for a moment before falling away. Current Grand Templar and probably one of the biggest fuckers in Mekkan, what an honour. "But you have the right to know what your old occupation was, and why you would've been with those men, and I pray to the masks that you can forgive me for hiding it from you. You had a right to know."

It breaks my heart to see her with such a torn look on her face, her guilt as clear as day on it, her eyes squeezed shut. It doesn't help that I feel _extremely _awkward over her telling me this, cause of uh, obvious reasons. God dammit.

"I uh, I already know this." I say awkwardly, looking down to her with a half hearted smile. She opens her eyes and stares up to me, blinking _very _slowly.

"What."

"Yeah, I knew about this for a while. My memories come back as dreams, kind of, it's hard to explain. Can't really control it, but I've chosen to remember what little things I can." I hold the bits of armour underneath an armpit as my spare hand rubs the back of my neck, an awkward laughter escaping my lungs.

"You mean to tell me that I've been losing my mind worrying about this, wracked with a guilt at purposefully leaving out potentially _vital _information about your past, only for you to _already know about all this_?" Oh man, she looks fucking pissed, her eyes squinting with a dangerous glint behind them. Well, fuck, now I just feel _worse_, how much time has she lost worrying about my dumb shit?

"More of less, sorry for making you worry I guess? Besides, I might've left out some bits of information as well, I'd be a bit of a hypocrite to be shitty about it when you were just trying to help me, ya know?" I half apologize with a shrug, there's not much else I can do really, although I really hope she doesn't feel too guilty about it all. She squeezes her eyes shut and sighs, a long shuddering sigh at that, although I can see the tension in her body rolling off of her.

"Hah, well don't I feel like an idiot? All this really messed with my work schedule too, I have so many things to work on…" She trails off with a frustrated grumbling, a terse frown on her face. I smile sadly and shove the bits of armour back into the box before waltzing over to her, catching her in a hug.

"Thank you for worrying, Anna, but please look after yourself. You've done so much for me already. " I whisper to her as I continue to latch onto her, a firm hug that surrounds her, the woman sighing before returning it. It's awkward to hug someone sitting down, but I do it anyways, there's a comforting feeling in it that's wonderfully soothing.

"Alright alright, get off of me kid, before I use _you _to experiment." It's a half hearted threat at best, a smile on my face as I pull away from her.

"Ah, a serious threat indeed, how _dangerous_." I bow lowly, though I keep eye contact, sarcasm dripping off of my tongue as I wink. To be honest, I forgot that she did experiments and whatnot, I assume that she'd use magic alongside her experiments too. I'd be _very_ hesitant to have her meet Lucy.

"Bah, get outta here and pick up the kid, I can already tell that you two are joined at the hip." She scoffs, but there's a smile on her face, she doesn't exactly give me room to respond before brushing past me, patting my shoulder before dipping into the hallway. The door behind her shuts with a thud, and silence returns. Something tells me that she's a little miffed about it, ah well. I give a glance to the box she left behind, the dull glint of metal held within. I'll deal with this shit later.

I flip it shut with a hand before making my way out of the cottage, the door squeaking open and closing behind me, the sun looks a little bit last mid morning, a warm time for a good jog back to my kid. I'll think of some use for that bit of armour sometime later, it's not exactly important right now.

I limber up my limbs before beginning to run, a smile on my face the wind blows against it. Here I was thinking that something _really _shitty happened to Anna, as I once feared long ago. Worrying a bit much seems to be a common theme here.

I hum to myself as I run along the dirt path, the familiar and welcoming presence of nature surrounding me. I've missed this, but a worry niggles at the back of my mind. I feel like I've forgotten something...

Ah, totally forgot to tell her about the magic shit. I'll just do that later I guess, shouldn't be too much of a hassle.

Hopefully anyways.

….

It was nice to walk the streets for a while, to enjoy the sun and the free feeling that hung along with it, having free time in this town is something that I'm not accustomed to and the thought of planning the rest of my time here felt uncomfortable.

I'm not the best at planning, and I've accepted as much. I prefer to wing things, it's easier that way, although I'd like to imagine I have some inkling as to what's gonna happen, unless I've been blindsided by some bullshit.

That being said, I really didn't expect this, now this is some shit.

"Eheh, hey Zeke." She says with a bashful looking grin, the burning red of her cheeks visible even through the dirt and grime. She's covered almost head to toe in the stuff, the brown fur at least masks some of it, but the bits of white are spared no quarter from the filth. Her golden eyes look nervous, her hands clasped together in front of her. Shit, even the scarf is covered in dirt, from purple to brown it goes, it clings to the cloth like it's fucking life depends on it.

I open my mouth to speak, though no sound emerges, clamming it shut soon after. What do I say to this, what the actual fuck happened here? I can see Cleon scolding his daughter out of the corner of my eyes, though the words he speaks are inaudible to my ears. Felicity looks a bit nervous, judging from the way she shifts. Mabels grin falters for a second, lifting her hands up to me and revealing the contents inside. It's a mound of dirt, earthy and brown, specks of pink wriggling underneath it all.

"We found worms?" She says that as if it's a question more than anything, tilting her head as she laughs, a nervous sounding one. I let out a soft sigh, rubbing my temple with a hand.

Bloody kids. Wouldn't have her any other way though.

**Author's note: This one might be a little bit messy at times, mostly with the dialogue with Anna. I had a plan to reveal the whole "oh yeah I'm totally dead and shit" thing here, and I spent a good amount of time on it to be honest, but it turns out that I already did that. In chapter 4 or something, the start of this fanfic. I'm fucking mad with old me, son of a bitch. **

**Also I plan to rewrite the related scenes where there's drinking between Anna/Zeke/Mabel sometime. I always thought that keidrans couldn't drink milk, but that was only a special case in the comic, wiki even says that drinks are exempt with the exception of alcohol. This won't affect the story at all, its a minor character moment that's meant to show Zeke wanting to find out new things to help Mabel feel more relaxed and it's a minor nitpick at most but it's a nitpick that's annoying the fuck out of me.**

**Why did I think that keidrans couldn't drink milk? I don't know, but I need to sleep.**

**Also, chapter 50 soon, woo.**


	50. Chapter 50

It's been a long time since I've been here, the sound of the rushing water fills the silence of the air, my hand brushing through the girls hair. The dirt that once clung to her fur is far from willing to let go of their host, though a firm scrubbing does well enough to force it off. I can't help but let my mind wander a little as my hands continue to clean the girl, my gaze leaving her stiff form and towards the trees that surround us. It's been a while since I've been here, but I can still remember it rather well, the little scene here isn't exactly one that's easy to forget. Ah, but that's the past, I'm here _now_. I feel my lips purse together into a tight line as I refocus my attention back onto Mabel, the girls head oddly straight and looking into the woods herself. She's hung her head low throughout the entire walk here, and hasn't uttered much since, I thought it was nervousness or embarrassment at first, but now I just can't help but worry.

It's an awkward feeling position for me honestly, half her body submerged in the river while I sit outside it, but I can deal with it. I rest a hand atop her head, ruffling it ever so softly, I can see her visibly stiffen as her tail follows suit, and the way she flinches just that _little _bit… fuck, now I just feel bad. I thought that she was just a little bit _upset_, not like this, how the fuck didn't I notice it?

"You okay, kid?" I whisper to her in as soft a voice as I can, keeping that soft hold on her, the least I could do for her is to be soft hearted. She doesn't respond to me, her ears twitching as a whimper escapes her maw, curling up and shrinking. My tight lips turn into a frown as I gently pull her up and into me, ignoring the soaking wet fur that fucks with my clothing, her head still turned away from me. I can deal with some water, even if she smells a bit like a wet dog, she's more important. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to, I'm just concerned is all, kid.

She sniffles and shudders, her ears twitching erratically as she looks up to me. Barely restrained tears threaten to break free from their hold, her eyes darting from place to place, never looking into my eyes for long.

"A-aren't you angry..?" She asks that question with a squeak, her voice wavering alongside it. Guilt floods my veins as I smile sadly, softly rubbing a thumb along her cheek, her fur wet and mattered. Jesus, I fucked up somewhere didn't I? The amount of times I've managed to fuck something up must be a bloody record, Adrian would bave a field day with this.

"Of course not kid, I can't exactly get mad at you, why would I be mad anyways?" I ask in return, as soft as I can while I continue to pet the fox. She squirms in my grasp a little, her bottom lip trembling as she frowns.

"I r-ruined the gift, s-sorry…" Her mumbling answer is barely audible over the rushing over the water, such a meek answer just feels fucking awful to listen to, and it doesn't help that she cowers just that little bit. The panging of pain in my heart is far from a comfortable feeling, weighing down on it as I keep her close to me, raising an eyebrow as I look down to her.

"Gift? What do yo- do you mean the scarf?" It's the only thing I could really see as a gift after all. She nods meekly, I can fucking _feel _the apprehension that leaks off of her. I turn my gaze away from her, the purple scarf hangs upon a nearby branch alongside my cloak, my gloves off to the side of it as water from the soaked clothes dripping to earth in an almost rhythmical fashion, pooling atop the soil below. It was a fucking bitch to clean the dirt out of that thing, but I wouldn't say that it was _that _much of a hassle. "It's not ruined or anything kid, it'll dry eventually, why would I be angry about it anyways?"

She mumbles something under her breath but doesn't respond beyond a stiff shrug, her ears still shifting erratically, her unease as clear as day on her face as she looks away. I bite back the scathing, loathing feeling that stirs in my chest, reaching up with a hand to grasp at her ears. She stiffens with a whimper, her posture slowly relaxing as I massage her ears, a hazy look in her slowing eyes. Fucking _slavers_, I'm willing to bet my limbs on those pricks being the reason she's like this, a child shouldn't be cowering in fear from the mere thought of upsetting someone.

"I'm not mad at you kid, and I never will be, especially to you. I'm not gonna pry into what happened while you were with the bastards that had you before, but I swear on my life that it's okay. I'm not mad, and you did nothing wrong, you're a _kid_, you should be free to make mistakes." I feel my smile wavering as I continue to massage her ears, digging my fingers behind it as I do so. I can still feel the nerves that radiate off of her, it feels as if it's seeping into my heart, the girl squirming a little bit, discomfort clear on her face.

"O-okay..." She doesn't sound convinced, or maybe she's just nervous, but either way it makes me want to curse those bastards some more. I hum to myself for a moment, should I…? Ah, fuck it, I've already done it once. The girl squeaks in surprise and stiffens for a moment before relaxing again, the sound of her purring filling the air. The taste of wet fur is far from a pleasant one, but it's worth the discomfort in my chest if it makes her feel better, even that slight bit. I linger for a moment before pulling away, ruffling her wet and messy hair, the kids faint giggling replacing her purring. God damn adorable kid.

"You can trust me kid, I really don't mind. Smile some more too, you're adorable when you're happy." I give her a toothy little grin as I continue to fuck with her hair, the girls giggling only growing louder in the meanwhile, it morphs into a strange mix of a laugh and a purr as a hand of mine scratches behind her ears, fingers digging into her ears. Her earlier distress seems to be beaten aback, if only for now, delight dancing within her golden eyes before she squeezes them shut, flashing a bright toothy grin of her own beaming up to me. My heart thuds in my chest as I look down to her for a moment longer before letting go. God bless this kid, gotta get back to the point . "Alright alright, back in the water, I wanna clean you up a bit more."

"Okay!" She replies with a cheerful demeanor before sliding back into the water, the brilliance of her smile still radiates in my lingering vision even though she's turned away from me, tending to herself. I chuckle to myself before returning to my own task, my hand trailing down from her hair to her shoulders. Sure, I feel more comfortable helping her clean herself, especially now, but there's limits I'm not gonna cross. She can handle most of herself anyways, I'm just speeding up the process. I hum a soft and slow tune to myself as I brush down her shoulders, picking and flicking away the more tenacious bits of dirt and muck that clings to her fur. It's surprising how she managed to reach such a state, I wasn't gone for _that _long, but I'm not gonna judge, so long as she had fun during it all. My humming hitches for a moment as something catches my notice, squinting my eyes as I pry her fur away, the fuck was tha-

Ah, _shit_.

I feel my throat clog up as my smile turns to a barely leveled frown, my teeth gnashing together before my jaw finally locks shut, barely contained _fucking rage _brewing in my chest. The thin covering of her fur was a good enough mask to cover the cuts and welts cluttered in the centre of her back, the remains of scars amidst the process of healing littered along with them. How, when? How the fuck didn't I notice this at all, when the fuck did this happen? Who the _fuck _do I have to stab? How long has she had these, why wasn't I told? Kathrin helped her bathe once, right? Why the fuck didn't she say anything, did she even notice them? Slave or not, she's a rather polite and innocent chick, could she have known what they'd be? She's a caring girl, she would've asked about it, or asked _me _about it right?

"_I never knew it could be nice, they w-were always so rough, it always h-hurt…" _The way her words seem to echo in my mind sends a shudder down my spine, a digit absentmindedly pressing against one of the scars. So _that's_ what she meant by it, no wonder she's fucking scared of people, who knows what else they might've done to her. My eyes feel as if they're on the verge of stinging as I furrow my brow, fucking scum of the earth _bastards_. Jesus christ, what if I do this to her, or _worse_?

"Z-zeke? Are you okay?" Mabels gentle chiming brings me out of my rumination, pulling both my hands and eyes away from the scars as I look into her eyes instead, her head tilting as she lets out a questioning trill, her fur hiding the marks from view once more. I could _ask _her about it, find out who did this, give them a piece of my fucking mind, it'd bring me some solace knowing such pain they'd inflict on a kid would be given back to them, however late it may be. Something to carve into _their _fucking skin.

And yet…

"Yeah, I'm alright kid, just thinking is all. Don't worry about me." The grin I give her feels somewhat forced, though it becomes easier to maintain as I sit my hand atop her head, ruffling it to distract myself from those thoughts as she giggles once again. I could ask her, but I'd rather not, for her own sake. The past is the past, there might be scars, especially for her, but why would I give up any more moments of giving her joy to relieve those painful memories? As much as I'd love to tear them a new asshole, she's more important than them. "You seem clean enough, wanna get out now?"

"Okay!" Her grin seems bright, it's a stark contrast from the scars she must've been forced to carry for a long while. The grin on my face feels more genuine than before, lifting her up from the water and planting her onto the dirt. She's a sopping wet mess, her fur weighed down and laid flat against her skin. Ah, I can see the issue here.

"Do you want a tow-" I shield my face from the oncoming shower, the girl shaking like a dog to rid herself of the water. It takes a few moments before it dies down, bringing my hand down from my face to chuckle at the sight. Her fur's still clumped together in some places, and the dirt around her is darkened with the sudden shower, at least her white fur is, ya know, _white _now. The smile on her face is an awkward looking one, her hands clasped together as she looks up to me.

"Eheh, s-sorry Zeke." It's a bashful sounding apology, one that tugs at my heartstrings as she continues to smile, the girl squeaking as I boop her nose. Fucking adorable kid, god dammit.

"Don't worry about it kid, let's get back to Annas house." I motion up the hill with my head before waltzing over to the cloths, feeling up each with a hand. They're far from dry, but at least they're not as soaked, maybe I could get Anna to dry them out? She'd probably use some fire I bet, eaugh, I hope I'm not there to see it.

"Hey, Zeke? Aren't you gonna clean?" I hum in surprise as Mabel calls out to me, twisting myself to turn to her for a moment, her head tilting slightly. I look down to myself for a moment, to say that I'm the cleanest person wouldn't _exactly _be the truth.

"Eh, I'll clean myself some time later in the day, don't worry about it kid." I answer her with a dismissive wave of a hand, grabbing the clothing and throwing them over a shoulder before waltzing up the hill. Mabel clings to my side, though I can still see her staring up to me out of the corner of my eye.

"Do you need help cleaning yourself?" She asks that so innocently, but it catches me off guard, coughing into a hand awkwardly.

"No, I'll do it later, don't worry about it Mabel."

"But I can he-" A gentle flick to the nose cuts off her pushing, her surprised squeak filling the air as she rubs her nose with a hand, chuckling as she lets out a heated sounding huff. Letting a kid help me clean seems demeaning, and I don't trust anyone to take that out of context in the fucking _slightest_. Adrian comes to mind. Fuck, I actually miss that parasitic bastard, fuck me I guess.

"I'll be fine, kid." I say simple as I turn to look to her, resting my hand atop her head and ruffling her hair. She grumbles underneath her breath and pouts, but nuzzles into my hand regardless, keeping up with me as we trek up the hill. Back to Annas we go.

That went pretty well, I think, scars and whatnot aside. This was… rather pleasant, in an enjoyable way, and here I was pawing off this task to another person once upon a time. I really ought to thank Kathrin for that later, should we ever meet again.

...what the fuck am I meant to do for the rest of the day? I can't plan for shit, normally I'd let someone else tug me along. I hum to myself as I look down beside me, the keidran swaying from side to side as she continues to dry off in the late afternoon sun, an adorably happy smile on my face. Actually, I think it might be a good idea to actually spend some time with the kid, bonding experience and such.

Yeah, that sounds fun, doesn't sound hard either.

…..

_Hot and heavy breaths ravage my lungs as I heave for air, run ragged from the battle as I limp towards the exit, the blood that I know coats my fur feels as cold as my limbs, gritting my teeth as I push through the pain. A basitin should not fall to wounds such as this, especially from those savages. A tormenting lance runs through my arm, a grunt of pain forcing its way through my lips as I clutch at it with my spare hand, the tip of my blade scraping against the cold stone as my fingers grasp the hilt, forcing it to squeeze around the pommel. I can't lose my sword, it's a lifeline. The warm sun shines in through the open exit, a stark contrast to the chill of the stone, and one that beckons to me. I shake my head to clear my thoughts and my blurring vision, claws dragging across the ground with a shrill scraping noise that rings in my ears, letting go of my arm to shield my eyes from the encroaching light that fills my vision. _

_Warmth washes over me as I feel soil beneath me, my paws digging into it as I march away from the keep and towards the rest of the squad. The lackadaisical band of Templars cheer among themselves, barely giving heed to me as I approach. The only one who notices is the Captain, his disgusting lecherous smile stains his face even now, the edges of his lips curling upwards even more as he approaches in return, clasping a hand on my shoulder, a cold flare of pain reigniting in my veins._

"_Get em all, private?" He questions as he looks down on me, an arrogant look in his eyes._

"_Yes, sir." That simple answer brings a flash of glee across his face, maw opening wide as he barks a laughter, a deep guttural one that has his stomach jiggle. Damned disgusting man. _

"_Bwahahah, good shit private. You heard him lads, get off your ass and get going!" The lingering group of Templars are rather lax in their movements, taking far longer than they ought to rise, brushing past the both of us as they rush the keep. The Captain leans his head down to me, the dirty grin across his face seems to widen even further. "You're a damn good tool, now get yourself fixed, I've no use for broken weapons. "_

_The grip on my shoulder tightens for a moment before letting go, shoving me behind him as he follows the larger group, his wolfish laughter echoing freely in the air. Self indulgent pig of a man, were it not for my mistress orders follow such a degenerate man..._

_I bite back a grunt of pain as I drag myself to the makeshift campsite, the group must've been rather comfortable to set up an encampment like this. A heated snort pushes through my nose as I take a seat upon a log, digging my sword into the dirt. I reach up and brush a digit over the wound, hissing as the pain flares up again. Deep red blood coats my fingers, humming to myself as I rub two digits together. It'll heal, some pain won't kill me, though my mistress would be far from pleased to learn that I wasn't 'taking care of myself'. Such a strange woman with strange commands, though I've no place to complain, she gives purpose and order, far better than any alternative. I check on my leg, wincing as that familiar lance of pain returns. How I'm meant to do such a thing with these wounds is beyond me, aid like this wasn't exactly seen as high priority. That aside, they got two hits on me, it's surprising how sloppy I've gotten. Part of me believes that it could've been due to that lazy day, but she did seem rather confident that it'd help, so perhaps it'd be worse without it? _

_My ears twitches as a shuffling sound catches my notice, ignoring the burning as I grab my sword by the hilt, bringing it up to shove the point in the targets direction. I bite back a scoff and shove the sword back into the dirt, just a slave, a fox one at that. I must be out of it to be almost caught unawares by such a thing._

"_Do you require assistance?" She asks, its voice sounds soft and dutiful, with half lidded eyes flickering from wound to wound, scraps of bandages already carried under arm. Part of me wishes to reject such a proposal, especially this thing. And yet Her voice rings in my ears. Tsk, the things I accept for that demon woman. _

"_Don't think you'll get anything from it." I respond with a huff, resigning myself to the aid and holding out the afflicted limbs. It approaches and kneels in front of me, an oddly careful hand pushing and prodding around my leg, humming to itself._

"_This should heal naturally, though leaving it as an open wound is far from ideal. Bandaging should suffice." It sounds surprisingly… human, I suppose, it's hands soft as it finally tends to the wound, the bandages are soft to the touch and wrap around my leg easily enough. My pride burns at being forced to accept help from an animal, but here I am, allowing such a thing to occur. Sloppy and soft, I'm sure that She would love to hear about this. She fixes the bandage in a tight knot, gritting my teeth as a flare of pain arises from it. Her hands trail from leg to arm as she shifts, sitting beside _

_"May I ask for your name, sir?" She asks suddenly. It's a surprise to hear something so forward coming from a keidran, especially from one that looks as meek as her. The fact that I almost respect such audacity is revolting._

_I open my mouth to speak, though nothing comes out, clamming my mouth shut and furrowing my brow. I could deny to answer, but what would it bring in the first place? When was the last time someone even asked my name, even if it's just a fox._

_"You do have a name, right?" Her smile is a teasing one, an almost gleeful look dances behind her yellow eyes. Of course I have a name, it's… what is it again? Why am I here? _

_"My name…" My voice sounds like a disgusting mumble, almost mute to my ears, my hands clenching into fists. _

_"Zeke?" That name rings a bell, it settles on my mind almost like a comfortable blanket, but it still seems off despite its attempts. That's not my name, who is that?_

_M-my name's..._

"Zeke?" The calling of my name brings me out of my thoughts, my hands squeezing the book within my grasp as I gasp for air, eyes shifting from place to place. What's going on, where am I? I'm, I'm in Annas, yes, she yelled at me for something, I was, reading I think? God, that's fucking new, isn't it? I've never lapsed into that while I was _awake_, was that even a memory, or just a fucked up daydream? I groan and shake my head, rubbing the palm of my hand into my eyes. Right, I'll deal with that later, probably talk to Adrian about it, what's going on here? Ah right, Mabel, she's probably expecting a response.

"What's up kid, need anything?" I finally respond to the kid as I let out a yawn, taking the brief moment to recover my senses. I've seated myself in the dining room, apparently, the leather bound journal relaxing in my hands as I loosen my grip, the open page looks as if it's a hastily written scribbling, written in a language that I can't understand. Tsk, here I was hoping that I'd get something from this shit. She looks up to me with those loving gold eyes of hers, her head tilting to the side. Dammit kid, lay off the cute sometime before I have a heart attack.

"What are you reading?" It's an innocent enough question, but it's one that ties my tongue in a knot for a moment, humming to myself as I brush a thumb over the old crumpled looking page. I feel fucking bitter about this pile of trash, so _much _potential knowledge and answers that I can't even begin to comprehend, what a bloody tease.

"...can't tell ya kid, I can't exactly read this thing." I sigh and close the journal shut, placing it on the wooden table as I glare at the thing. Fucking journal, maybe I should try to paw it off to someone. I tear my sight from the book itself and back towards Mabel, her head still tilted to the side, although there's a surprised look in her eyes.

"You can't read, too?" I chuckle underneath my breath and plant a hand atop her head, ruffling it softly. I'll deal with the book later.

"I can read human just fine, this book isn't _in _human, and that's the issue." I answer honestly, a small smile making its way on my face as she nuzzles into my hand, her lips forming into a soft 'o' shape. Heh, bloody adorable. Hey, wait a second. "What do you mean 'too', by the way kid? Can _you _read?"

"Nuh, they'd get angry if I tried to read things." I can see the girl shiver as her lips morph into a small frown, her hands wringing together. The anger that ignites in my chest is smothered embers at most, but it still rubs me the wrong way, huffing heatedly to myself as I double my efforts in petting the fox. Tch, depriving a slave of the chance to learn things is definitely a way to keep them on a leash, how _revolting_. Or someone could use mind control magic and circumvent the issue to begin with. Mind control magic does exist here, right? God, I hope not, the thought of it is a disturbing one, but the chance of such a thing is always there.

"Hmm…" I hum to myself digging my fingers into her hair, the girl looking up to me with a confused expression. "Why don't I teach you then?"

"W-wait, really?" Her eyes light up with excitement, her frown fading away and replaced with a bright smile, her ears twitching alongside it all. God that's a cute sight, bless this kid.

"I'm not gonna be the best teacher for ya, but I like to read myself, so why wouldn't I share it with you?" I assure the excitable little girl, chuckling as she lets out a gleeful sounding squeak. Saying that I like to read would be an understatement, god knows I'd love to get more books for myself, so why not help the kid alongside it too? It gives us more time to be together too, as an added bonus, and I'd never deny that chance. She freezes for a moment, a bashful look on her face as her reddened cheeks pierces through her fur, the lovely excited look on her face dying down soon after.

"W-wouldn't you get in trouble, though? I don't want that to happen..." A hesitant indecision clouds her face and tone as she looks away from me, wringing her hands together. Wait no, come back happy Mabel. I shuffle off of the seat and kneel in front of her, my hand digging into her fur and ruffling it, nice and soft.

"Why would I get in trouble kid?" I ask her slowly, trying my best to keep eye contact with her even as she looks away. C'mon kid, it's cute that you're worried, but worrying is _my _job.

"The others would be angry if they knew." She answers with a sniffle, finally looking back up to me, her once excited eyes spoilt by worry.

"They can go to hell, I'll do whatever I want, and I _want _to teach you how to read. That's _if _you wanna learn I mean." I trail off a little as I push the offer, winking as I rub an ear. The excited look restores itself in her eyes as she smiles, a great big grin that reaches to her eyes, her head a blur as she nods excitedly.

"Y-yes! Yes please, Zeke." Warmth blossoms in my chest, god, even with how little time she's had to grow, she's come so far. I still remember that scared look in her eyes when I first found her.

...then again, that might've been because I broke a crate to get to her, probably could have handled that a bit better.

"Alright kid, run off to your room, I'll see if Anna has any good books for kids laying around." I motion with a head towards the doors, the girl nodding once more before dashing off. I chuckle to myself as I stand on two feet, raising an eyebrow and staring at the excited girls back as she waltzes into a room.

My room, specifically, not hers. God bless this kid, I can feel my teeth corroding the more I think about her, bloody sweetheart. I don't have the heart to try to correct her 'mistake', wouldn't be the first time we've shared a bed either. I hum as I walk down the hallway, wrapping my hands upon Annas door. At least, I hope it's Annas door, fairly sure. A small scuffling is my answer, followed by a muted yell and a thumping against the floor, the door swinging open.

"What do ya need, kid?" Her voice is low and exhausted, it almost looks as if her eyes on the verge of clouding over, visible even through the hard lidded stare she gives me. Her hair sticks up at odd ends, the woman slouched over. Ah, now I feel like I came in at a bad time.

"I can uh, come back later if you're busy." My eyes shift from her tired looking face, the wrinkles on it seem ever deeper, the flickering of the light behind her is the only thing I can see behind her visage. She hesitates for a moment, sighing deeply as she rubs at her eyes.

"I'm alright kid, just… really really focused, what do you need?" I frown despite her assurance, I feel really worried for her.

"Well, I'm trying to teach Mabel how to read, do you have any books laying about that could help?" I feel awkward asking her about it, rubbing my hand on the back of my neck as an uneasy smile crosses my face. She raises an eyebrow, the edge of her lips curling upwards for a moment.

"_You're _trying to teach a kid? To _read, _too?"

"Don't sound _that _surprised, come on Anna! It'll be an experience for the both of us." That at least gets a chuckle out of her, a lopsided smile appearing on her face as her eyes shine. There we go, she looks a bit better, at least for now.

"Alright alright, give me a moment." The door clicks shut, silence reigning over the small cottage. A part of me _really _wants to know what she's up to, but it's really not my place to pry, nor to snoop around. If she needs help, she'll ask for it, right? She's done more than enough for me, and for the kid, it's only right to pay her back in some way. The door flings open, Anna taking up my vision once more as she hands me a pile of books. I take them from her hands and look over the first one, given the fact that it's a children's book, for the alphabet specifically, I can imagine that the rest are at the very least similar enough. I don't think I should ask her why she has these books, could be a bit personal.

"Found some books that might help, ignore the dust." Her smile is old and worn, but a genuine one, one that I can't help but reciprocate.

"Thanks, Anna… You know you can ask me to help with anything, right?" What was once meant to be assurance now sounds like a plea as I ask her, her smile seems that little bit sadder as she reaches up to me, ruffling my hair.

"I know kid, I know." She replies in a soft tone, that sad smile of hers widening for a moment before she retreats into her room, the door clicking behind her. This all feels.. Rather bittersweet, really. Also she's treating me like I'm a kid, hair ruffling is _my _job, god dammit. At least I got books now. I make my way to my room, pushing the door open and stepping inside. A hum of acknowledgement comes from the kid as she suddenly sits up, her tail flapping about as her ears twitch. My cloaks slumped against a wall, stuck atop my bag and other belongings.

"Ready to learn, kid?" I ask rhetorically as I sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her as she nuzzles into my side, looking up to me with a smile as she nods. She looks from me to the stack of books that lay atop my lap, her smile falling a little as she shuffles.

"I-I'm gonna read all of that?" She seems a little overwhelmed, I can imagine the second thoughts that's clouding her mind.

"Not right now, we're gonna start slow, and at _your _pace. If you don't want to, I won't force you to." That seems to reassure her, shuffling around to sit cross legged, a determined look in her eye.

"O-okay. I'm ready, I think." She's still a bit nervous, I get that. I smile and ruffle her hair, grabbing the first book atop the pile.

"We'll stop when you're getting restless, kid. Just ask if you need anything, I'm new to this teaching business. Alright now, this is the letter A…"

God, I know I'm gonna mess this up somehow, at least she seems eager to learn.

**Authors note: Not a long chapter by any means, and not a very exciting one, but I thought it might be a good idea to give Zeke and Mabel some actual character moments together lmao. **


	51. Chapter 51

A dull throbbing sensation fills my skull as a familiar warmth surrounds me, my eyelids flickering open before hissing, staring into the dilapidated ceiling. Back here again, huh? It's odd, to be here so many times in a row, does this actually count as me sleeping to my own mind? Maybe that's why the bags under my eyes seemed so sunken…

Hey, wait a second! My lips twitch upwards as I throw the covers off of me, abandoning the loving warmth of the bed despite my immediate wish for its return as I push myself onto unsteady feet, blinking away blurred vision. Adrian rests upon the desk, slouched against the wall with the back of his skull pressing against it, his eyes closed while his chest rises and falls almost rhythmically. I slink across the carpet as I look over the still sleeping ghost, a faint smile on my face as I examine the slumbering man, my head tilting to the side. It feels… odd to stare at him like this, then again, it's odd that such a normally pessimistic parasite seems so relaxed. He looks like he's out cold, must've been pretty bloody tired, or at least the spectral equivalent of it anyways. Part of me wants to wake the sleeping ghost, I have _slightly _missed his nagging after all, though I don't feel like I have the heart for it. I'll let him sleep in a bit longer, I just wish he could've picked a more comfortable looking spot, even if it was only for show. It's the thought that counts, I suppose.

I stumble my way back over to the bed and take a seat, sighing to myself as I bury my face into my hands for a moment, lifting my face from it to glare at the bookshelf. Each moment I look at the thing, the more a pressure seems to weigh on my shoulders, an unsettling feeling that digs into my chest, it takes a great deal of effort to tear my sight from the spines that line the shelf. Jesus fuck, I think that little day dream I had might've fucked with me a bit more than I thought, I think I was a bit too distracted with other things to realise it. Tch, fuck that day dream too, that couldn't have been a memory, right? Fuck, I'll talk to Adrian about it, the more time I spend thinking about it, the more it's gonna hurt my head.

There's not much else to do, not much else I _want _to do, really, other than look around the room. I swear to fuck that there's something else in this place that _must've _changed, the suspicion digs into my bones as I squint, though I can't exactly point out anything specific. Fuck, maybe I should nudge Adrian awake? It's… oddly lonely here within my mind, even if he's camping out in the corner, it's not as if he's making any noise. Something to alleviate the silence in the room would be kind of nice is all.

A gentle mumbling brings me out of my thoughts, my eyes shifting over to the once still ghost in the corner, his spectral limbs shifting as he groans aloud. I shake my head for a second before pushing myself off of the bed, making my way and standing beside him, I'm surprised that it's taken him so long to actually rouse himself from sleep

"Sleep well, parasite?" I verbally rib the man as he shakes his head, the man groaning out loud as his lazy eyes seem to shift into place, transparent eyes locking onto mine.

"Just fine until you started talking, you fuck anything up yet, waste of skin?" His voice sounds groggy and lax, it lacks the bite that his words would normally have, doesn't help that he looks like he's in the middle of waking up. I snicker a little as he groans once more, rubbing at his eyes.

"I'll have you know that everything went surprisingly well, at least for today." I answer with a smile, leaning against the wall as I continue to eye him. He grunts in response as he finishes himself, blinking repeatedly with wide eyes. "Seriously though, how are you? Are you feeling any better?"

"Ich, I am feeling a tad better, surprisingly;y, it was an experience to get actual sleep in your head. Didn't realise that I could, neither did I think that it'd work." I wonder how sleeping inside someone else's head would work anyways, would he be able to dream while _I'm _awake? How odd. He stretches his arms before floating upwards, shaking his limbs before patting his fur down.

"What was wrong anyways? Anything I can help with?" I ask the man as I look up to him, a wistful sounding sigh pushing through his lips as he continues to stretch. Does he need to do that? He's a _ghost_, ghosts don't have bones, can he even feel himself? Or is he doing that instinctively?

"Just a headache, hurt like a bitch, but I'm feeling better now. As for helping me, can you stop getting yourself hurt so I don't feel pain cause of your shitty decisions?" He raises an eyebrow as he crosses his arms, floating down and leaning over me. I hum to myself and rest a finger on my chin, making a show of thinking.

"No, probably not." I reply casually, shrugging as I shoot the ghost a grin. He lets out a short snort of laughter before sighing, a soft smile on his face.

"I guess I should've figured that."

"Buuuuuut." I interject with a raised finger. The action seems to surprise him, his eyebrow returning to its raised state as his lips twitch.

"But?"

"I do _plan _on trying to be more safe with a few specific things, I don't want to let people get the drop on me because I let my guard down, and I don't particularly want to try to throw myself into more dangerous scenarios, unless it's really needed. I'm not great with plans, you probably know that, but I'm gonna try my best to keep with that at least." I follow up on myself swift enough, Adrians face morphing into a confused look as I continue to speak. He blinks for a moment, his eyes squinting for a moment before lowering to my height, leaning ever closer to my face. I try in vain to pull away from the inquisitive little bastard, the back of my head pressing against the wall uncomfortably. Uh…

"Are you ill or something? What happened for you to actually seem _honest _with that idea?" I roll my eyes and take a swipe at him, my hand passing through his head harmlessly, though that familiar chill takes a hold of it for a moment. It's uncomfortable, but oddly enough, not entirely unwelcoming. How odd.

"I've had a fair bit to think about today, I've had some of my thoughts changed on some things, shouldn't you be glad that I've at least _said _that I'd try to stay away from danger?" I drum my fingers against myself as he chuckles, a cocky little grin on his face as he shrugs, though he presses a hand against his temple to rub at it.

"Actions speak louder than words, waste of skin, didn't you say something similar before rushing off into a pack of wolves?" A frown forces its way onto my face as I grip myself, a sour taste in my throat pushing its way into my throat before vanishing.

"Probably, not that I can remember it that well anyways. I'm gonna hold myself to that promise a lot tighter now, I promise you that much." Adrian hums for a second as he squints his eyes again. He shrugs again after a bit, floating upwards and lazing in the air.

"If you say so, I'll hold you to that, and stab you with it if you fuck it up. Why the sudden change though? I'd say that you're as stubborn as a mule, but at least a mule has the decency to die when people kill it." I can;t help but snort a little with that ribbing. Heh, not sure what it means to laugh at my own death.

"Don't you have full access to _most _of my memories?"

"You think that I've gone deep diving into your brain yet? I just 'woke up', can't you spare the kindness to treat me a _little _bit nicer?" The hand on his non existent heart doesn't distract me from the smug little grin on his face, rolling my eyes again as I pass through him.

"You're fine, probably, it'll be quicker than me trying to explain it all." I reply with a dismissive wave of a hand, taking a seat upon the bed. The doppelganger grumbles underneath his breath as I laze and embrace the softness of the thing, an odd feeling of weariness resting on my shoulders again, closing my eyes for a while. Fuck, maybe I should try to sleep my way through this dream room instead of remembering, _try _being the key word there.

Time passes with a comfortable enough silence as I nestle myself into the bed, occasionally opening my eyes to take a peak at Adrian, the ghost idly floating in the air with his eyes shut, his limbs twitching occasionally. Huh, is that how he looks like when he's digging through my head? I'm not sure what I expected, but I thought there'd be more to it. My musings cut short as he lets out a heated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as his eyes flicker open.

"I'm not sure what I expected, honestly." He mutters flatly as he floats over to me, an equally flat look on his face.

"Not sure about what? You're gonna have to specify." I respond in turn, ears twitching while I press further into the bed, closing my eyes once more. Why can't _real _beds feel like this, this is bullshit.

"The thing with the kid, the one you've not so subtly taken as your own, you're basically joined at this hip at this point."

"Mabel's a good kid, and I'd like to help her whenever I can, especially if no one else is gonna do the job." I say with a shrug, I can feel him staring at me, a cold shiver running up my spine, doesn't take a detective to realise he doesn't exactly approve.

"I'm surprised that people have accepted it so far, but that luck ain't gonna last forever, and Templars would be far less than kind about it. You know that they've already dug their claws into this world."

"I'm aware."

"Raising a kid, an _actual _fucking child is a lot of responsibility, she's not _human _either, you know that keidran kids aren't exactly gonna be the same as a human child either."

"I do know, actually, I know a little bit about keidran biology. I'm probably gonna see if I can grab some more books about them, too." I can hear a frustrated growl come from the spectral man, my ears twitching in response, though I don't open my eyes. I'm still enjoying the warmth dammit.

"Why the fuck are you acting so blasé about this? This is some serious shit you're getting us into dammit!" I crack open my eyes to take a peek at the man, his brow furrowed as his chest heaves for breath, his hands brushing through his translucent strands of hair. He looks a tad beyond being frustrated, it's surprising to see an expression on his face that isn't smug or pissed. I sigh to myself and shuffle into a sitting position, rubbing the back of my neck.

"I know I seem kind of… weirdly casual about all this, and I'm sorry that it's fucking with you. I know this is serious, don't think I'm trying to act like everything's gonna be a-okay and it's not a big deal. I _know _what I'm doing, just, not how I'm meant to be doing it. You said I was 'as stubborn as a mule', right? This is something I'm gonna be stubborn on, I've made my bed, and I'll damn well sleep in it, even if it's gonna be a prickly son of a bitch." A determined feeling stirs and burns in my chest as I speak, looking into Adrians eyes, even as he closes them shut, massaging each side of his temple with both hands. He's silent for a while, an uncomfortable dead silence reigning the room, the soft sigh under his breath is barely audible despite the twitching of my ears. He silently floats over, taking a seat in front of me, it feels like he's mimicking me more than anything, a pensive look on his face.

"..You're a bit more than determined to follow this path, aren't you?" I can see his eyes flicker from spot to spot on my face. I grunt in response and nod, returning his stare with one of my own. I'm not gonna back down from this, I said what I meant and I meant what I said. He's silent for a moment, looking down to the floor as he runs his hands through his hair again.

"...okay." His voice is… oddly soft, it's almost unnerving to hear coming from the man, my ears strain themselves to hear the word. Some part of me feels rather uncomfortable for it, unnerved and worried, but another wants to reach out to him, to clasp my hand on his shoulder and try to pull him out of his rut. But it's not possible, I know it isn't, but my hands and arm twitch regardless, as if it _really _wants to try. A sharp intake of air comes from Adrian, it's an almost hissing noise, as he pulls his head up. His face is contorted, morphed into an apprehensive anxious mess of a thing, though there's a stony look in his eyes, his lips pursed into a solid line. "Okay, if you're sure, I'll try my best to steer you clear of trouble, though. _Someone's _gotta look after you before you accidentally fuck yourself or something, who better than the person in your head?"

The smug little grin that he forces on his face is a faux one, it's a poorly made mask that isn't very hard to see through, though I don't bring it up. My lips curl up into a small smile as I nod once more.

"Why _Adrian_, if I didn't know better, I'd say that you _actually _care about me beyond staying alive." I give the man a wink, chuckling a little as he scoffs in return, my smile widening as he rolls his eyes. I know what he means, deep into our heart, even if he wants to say it in another way.

"I like being alive, thank you very much, I'm not exactly excited to return to that limbo, fuck that place in particular." He laughs it off, but I can see his own lips curl into a smile, a surprisingly soft one at that. I do agree with him though, fuck limbo, I'd rather keep my memory intact. I chuckle along with him as I return to lazing about the bed, eyes looking up to the plain ceiling as I hum to myself. It's… a little odd for him to be acting so different from last time, from what I can recall, always been in between helping and hindering, but there's something in my heart that tells me that it's leaning more to helping than not, at least for now. Maybe my meeting with that cold lady influenced it in some way? I'm not really sure, and I don't think he would know, either. Maybe I'm just overthinking it? Hell, I'm more than sure that I've changed a little bit since I first woke up here, both because of myself and others, isn't changing the way you think through life a natural thing? I sigh to myself and rub my palm against my face, resting my hand atop my face, this situation is a bit of a mess, and my mind feels so muddled. Nothing's natural about this, not at all.

And now I'm brooding when I'm meant to be _resting_, fantastic.

"Looks like you got something on your mind." I grunt in response as I crack an eye open, looking up to Adrians smug face, the ghost lazing above me.

"Just thinking about a few things, it really isn't that important." I reply with a wave of a hand, closing my eyes shut again. My ears twitch as I hear him chuckle, I can still imagine that smug grin on his face.

"Quite a dangerous past time for ya, you sure your brain can handle it?" I wave blindly above me, the ghosts surprised yelp filling the room as a chill squeezes around my arm. "You're thinking bout that daydream, aren't ya?"

I sigh to myself again and rub my face, forcing my eyes open to look at the man. His face is surprisingly soft looking, his fingers drumming against his cheek.

"Kind of, among other things. I've never had a memory force itself on me while I'm _awake_." I admit with another sigh, my head lolling against the pillow as I turn to face that bookshelf. Fucking memories, just couldn't make it easy, huh?

"But you don't think it's a memory, don't you? Not a true one anyways."

"What do you think it is, then? Cause I'm fresh outta fucking ideas, it doesn't seem consistent with how it's happened the other times." Adrian hums to himself and cups his chin, twisting midair into a sitting position. I wonder why he does that? Does he feel restless or something?

"I don't think it's a memory, not entirely. You don't have the best memory, you tend to get lost in the empty chasms of your own head a lot-"

"Hey, I'm still here."

"-and you've probably had a bit on your mind, maybe some bits might've 'leaked' through your head and into reality? I'm not an expert on this, I just say the shit I think _might _work, and it wouldn't be the first time you've lost touch on reality." As loathe as I am to recall those moments, the mere thought of those bits unsettles me, I suppose it makes _some _sense, it's better than the absolutely nothing I have. I hum and nod along with the spectre, keeping my eye on that bookshelf, and the plain spines that line the thing. God, the more I look at the thing, the more I just want to _sleep_, sleep away within a dream. My ears twitch as the ghost laughs, twisting my head to look up to him, there's a small smile on his face, the look in his eye isn't _exactly _a malicious one, but it's a mischievous one.

"I know exactly _why _you've got your knickers in a bunch, too, you can't exactly hide that from me."

"I know, I'd just prefer to hide it from myself, just for a little bit longer anyways."

"You've done a pretty bad job at it, your heart spikes whenever you think of it." I purse my lips together and bring a hand up to my chest, resting it above my heart. Huh, I didn't notice that, the more you know. "She _did _look a lot like the kid, right down to the eyes."

She did, she _really _did, almost frighteningly so, although I didn't look at her long while in the middle of the daydream itself. No idea why the colour gold seems to be following me around like so much, from the kid, to that glimpse of a memory in the dream journal, to that little buddy...

"You aint gonna talk about it much, aren't ya?"

"Probably not." I'm not running away from it, I'm not _ignoring _it, i'm just… still thinking about it all, I guess. I just want some sleep god dammit. Adrian sighs and rubs a hand against his face, that soft expression still on his face.

"Alright, I'll drop it then." That's surprisingly kind of him, though I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. "What about that? You gonna try to force a memory?"

He jabs a thumb towards the cursed bookshelf, an uncomfortable feeling stirring in my chest as I look at it up and down. The pressure on my shoulders and chest seems to increase in its intensity the longer I stare at it.

"Nope." I pop the 'p' in that word as I tear my sight away from it, nestling back into the bed. A feeling of glee dances in my chest as a confused look contorts the ghosts face, I guess he didn't expect that answer.

"Really? I'm surprised, I fully expected you to go head first into it, or to punch yourself awake to circumvent it." I sigh and rub my face, my eyelids feel a lot heavier than I remember.

"Adrian, I'm fucking _tired_, and I want to at least _try _to get some sleep. I'll deal with the memories and other things tomorrow. For tonight, at least, I want to try to actually rest for once, I wouldn't wanna wake the kid when I wake up either." I finally explain to him, looking up to him with a lazy feeling stare. He blinks once, twice, then once more before shrugging.

"Alright, I'm not exactly gonna complain, some peace and quiet doesn't sound too bad. What am I meant to do though? There's not much to do in this room." He makes a sweeping motion across the room with an arm. He's not wrong, there's fuck all in this thing, unless I wanna try to yank us into the desk.

Mentally saying that to myself makes it sound weird.

I hum to myself and look down to the bed, drumming my fingers against the sheets.

"Why don't you sleep yourself, then? There's plenty of room, ya know."

"You're kidding me, right? I'm not gonna sleep in the same bed as you, you fucking _weirdo_."

"Then you can sleep somewhere else, I'd just prefer you to sleep on something more comfortable than decayed wood."

"You know I'm a ghost, right? I can't exactly _feel _things."

"It's the thought that counts. I'm not gonna force you to do it or anything." I add on with a shrug. The ghost lets out a frustrated sounding groan, pinching the bridge of his nose. He massages it for a while, silence filling the room. Mn, it doesn't look like he's gonna take the offer. I don't mind it, it's not as if he _has _to or anythin-

"Alright, fine." He finally says with a sigh, throwing his hands up as he lowers himself to the bed. I blink in surprise as he rests upon the edge of it, his back pressing against the wall.

"...huh, alright then."

"What? Surprised that I took the offer?"

"More or less, I expected more of a fuss."

"Even a broken clock can be right twice a day, don't think about it too much, otherwise your head's gonna start hurting again. I _am _a little tired, that's something I'm gonna blame you for, might as well ride it out for now." A snort of laughter bubbles from my chest in response, looking up to the ceiling. Such a drab and ill maintained sight shouldn't bring me as much comfort as it does now, or maybe it's the lethargy taking over, my eyelids feel as heavy as stone, slowly drooping down and obscuring my vision.

"Night, parasite."

"Good night, waste of skin." My lips twitch up into a small smile, the loving feeling of warmth encompassing me with a tight hug. Sleeping in the middle of a dream seems a bit more than odd, but at least I feel comfortable during it. It feels weird to feel so safe around Adrian now, but I don't dislike the feeling.

"You kissed the kid, you weird sappy bastard."

"It was on the forehead you pile of garbage, shut up and go to sleep you goddamn bastard." My growl only entertains the asshole, his bark of laughter echoing throughout the room.

I take every positive thing I thought about him back, the prick.

…

A discomfortable feeling brings me back from the depths of sleep, my eyes flinging open while my hands squeeze themselves shut. What the fuck, where am I? What's going on? My breath slows as I look around, a familiar desk in front of me, the seat beneath me is far from comfortable, surrounded by bookshelves and lined with parchments.

Ah, I'm back here, I guess.

"That you are, Zeke." An icy cold voice seems to echo within my skull, my vision blurring as a woman appears in front of me, blue eyes looking through me, her face is as impassive as ever, blinking slowly and methodically.

"Can't say I expected to be here so soon, any reason for it?" I say with a sigh, resting my chin on a palm. I wouldn't have been dragged here for nothing, after all.

"Someone else wished to meet you again is all." I raise an eyebrow, someone else? Does she mean-

A familiar chiming rings in my skull, filling my ears as warmth fills my chest, my vision blurring again as they _pop _into existence.

"Little buddy!" It chimes again as it pushes against my face, rubbing into my cheek while I rub its glass body with a thumb, a smile splitting my face. "Are you feeling any better?"

"While they're still currently recovering, they're certainly far more energetic than before." The lady answers for the golden orb, the light inside flickering for a moment before pulling away. I hum and look into the thing, it's glass body seems… more dulled, I suppose, the light inside doesn't shine as bright as it did once before. I suppose that's what she means by recovering.

"I'm glad, _really _glad that you're okay, little buddy." My smile shrinks a little as I pat the orb with a finger, the way they press back against it ignites a spark of delight in my chest. God, I'm surprised that I was so worried for the thing, I'm glad they're okay.

"While this does seem to be a waste of our collective time, your 'little buddy' here was rather insistent on meeting you once more." The golden orb lets out a shrill chime as it zips away from me, bonking itself against the cold lady, though she doesn't show a reaction to it. It's weird to see someone with the face of the human be so cold, while what would be the inanimate object is the emotive one.

Then again, neither actually exist, probably anyways. I'm gonna get a headache if I think about it too much.

"Actually, I have a question I wanna ask, specifically for you though, little buddy." The orb ceases its chiming, it's attention diverted to me, keeping an eye on it as it hovers close. The more I look at the light that flares inside the thing, the more… alluring it seems, I suppose, and the more my heart seems to race. Fucking gold, that colour always seems to follow me around, in dreams _and _in reality, it must mean something, right?

"...Am I doing a good enough job for now? For Mabel specifically, I-I know I've probably made some mistakes here and there, but I know I must've made a promise to… whoever you are, you _have _to remind me of her for a reason, there _has _to be something to that." I trail off as a jolt off as I rub the back of my neck, my throat clogging up. Fuck, I fucked that up pretty bloody well, didn't I? I don't think that makes a lick of sense, why am I expecting an answer from something that can't respond anyways? "Ah, never mind me, just overthinking things again."

The smile on my face feels forced, the short laughter that comes afterwards awkward, looking away from the golden orb. Tch, good going Zeke. It's chimes echo in my head as it brushes against my cheek, it's lovely warmth spreading throughout my body as its noise drones on. It's a comfortable feeling, one that I welcome. It's not exactly a proper answer, but I think I can understand the feeling behind the action.

"Thanks, little buddy." I thank it with a smile, an honest one, it's celebratory chiming making me chuckle as it dances around my head. Such a cute thing, really…

"A rather heartwarming scene, are you prepared to leave?" The cold lady's voice brings my attention to her, blue eyes glowing within the dark of the room. I spare a glance to the golden orb as it zips beside her, giving her a nod.

"I'm ready." The woman nods in return, her hand blurring as she waves. I feel the dark creep in my vision, a numbness seeping into my limbs as my eyelids close. Heh, told her I'd remember them.

I saw that smile of hers, too.

…..

My eyelids flicker open, my vision smothered by a mess of white and brown, gentle breaths fills the air as warmth spreads throughout my chest. My lips curl up into a smile as I run my fingers through her hair, digging a digit behind an ear and massaging gently. She mumbles in her sleep, stirring a little before returning to rest, a happy sounding sigh coming from her lips as she presses her forehead against my chest. God, this kid…

**Ich, this is something I'm gonna have to get used to, aren't I?**

Oh, hey there Adrian. Are you feeling okay? And yeah, most likely, I don't exactly _plan _for this to happen, it just does.

**Yadda yadda, something something it makes the kid happy. I know how you think, much to my immense disappointment. I'm feeling just fine.**

I feel my lips curl up into a smirk, letting out a happy little sigh as I wrap my arms around the kid, holding her closer for a moment longer. This, this is a peaceful little scene, it's nice and quiet, not even the chirping of the morning birds. Did I wake up early or something? If I did, then I certainly can't feel it. I feel so _energetic_, oddly enough, although it's subdued by the warmth that surrounds me.

**...Did you hear that?**

Hear what? I purse my lips together as I pull myself away from the kid, my ears poking up as I focus. Despite his words, there's still nothing, as far as I know anyways, what's he on about? Are you sure you're okay Adri-

My ears twitch as a light laughter pushes its way into the room, turning my neck to face the door. That, is an oddly _familiar _laughter, though I can't seem to place where I've heard of it. Hm, I kind of want to investigate.

**If they're already in the house, then they're likely friends of Annas. Up and at it waste of skin, don't get us into shit. **

You know just what to say to get me going, I'm always grateful for your input parasite.

**Any time, someones gotta keep you in check.**

I roll my eyes and slowly slink out of the bed, ever so gently and quietly, I don't want to wake the kid. There's a pang in my heart as I look over the small frown that forms on her face, the girl shuffling around slightly before becoming still. Alright, nice and easy.

I tiptoe across the room, glancing over to the kid for a moment. I feel bad leaving her, and the warmth, but I can always come back to it. I just hope she doesn't worry when she wakes. My hand wraps around the handle, pursing my lips together, hesitating for a moment.

Why am I hesitating? It's probably one of Anna's friends, so why do I feel so on edge?

**Hurry up and open the bloody door, I can't believe I'm saddled with you.**

Alright alright, fine. I let out a soft sigh and gently pull the door open, taking a peek into the next room. A familiar pale face sits at the table in front of Anna, neither seem to notice me, the both of them chattering idly.

Ah, Lucy met Anna, no wonder I'm shitting myself. But, there's something more to that, something that niggles at the back of my mind. Sure, the both of them 'experimenting' on things can go awry, given Lucy's tendencies, but that's no real reason to be so spooked, right?

Adrian, you got any ideas?

**Well, she is tagging along to help you with magic, right?**

Yeah? We haven't practised in a while, neither has she experimented with it.

**Isn't Anna rather protective of you since the night she took you in?**

Yeah?

**And, as an ex Templar, isn't she **_**aware **_**what happens to basitins when they get their hands on magic? The whole brain dead thing?**

...I can begin to see the issue here.

**Did you tell her about the whole magic thing?**

That, might've slipped my mind.

**For **_**fucks **_**sake Zeke.**

Whoops? I'm sure I can salvage this, probably, just give me a moment.

"Hiya Fuzzy!" Lucy's shrill voice yanks me from my thoughts, the miniature mage waving a hand. Anna looks behind her, a small smile on her face, an eyebrow raised. Suddenly, I feel a bit less prepared. Adrians aggravated groan fills my ears, and I can imagine the ghost pinching the bridge of his nose.

**God **_**fucking **_**dammit. **


	52. Chapter 52

The chattering of the two of them fly far above my head, words that I can't exactly understand exchanged between the two of them. Despite my previous fears, this seems to be going… well? At least I _think _it is, they're chatting about magic related topics, it's a discussion entirely based on magical _theory. _

I don't understand it, not in the slightest, I feel like a child that's stuck listening in on adult discussions, the boring kind, more than anything. At least the tea tastes nice, god bless Anna for that. I really should learn to brew something as nice as this.

**You fucking better, this is one of the few things you eat or drink that **_**tastes **_**good. I thought you were a massive nerd when it came to magic, though.**

I like the _physical_ application of magic and _practising_ it, regardless of how it went the last time we tried to do that, not this theoretical thing. There's a difference between thinking of how best to do something and making it explode.

**A nerd with none of the smarts, I'm not surprised in the slightest, just disappointed.**

Hey, at least this conversation's going well, right?

**And just like that, you've jinxed it.**

Come on, it's not _that _bad.

"I'm surprised that the kid here's taken such an interest in magic of all things." My ears twitch upwards as my name's spoken, drifting my eyes over to Anna as I take another sip from my cup. There's a gentle look of surprise in her eyes, her lips curled into a faint smile.

"While we haven't had much time to _experiment _very long, I expect Fuzzy here to be a fantastic test subject with the things that I have planned." A small shiver runs up my spine as Lucy speaks, a dangerous glint in her eye, I can tell that she's smiling behind the cup that's raised to her lips. Eaugh, she always manages to rub me the wrong way, I wonder _why _though.

**Might have something to do with how off-putting she is, it's as if she's just acting. You **_**could've **_**just said no to her coming along the first time around, would've spared us the trouble.**

But it's _magic_ Adrian! _Magic_. I'd also feel bad for denying her the opportunity, she's a strange girl, but I'm sure she's nice enough.

**You're hopeless.**

"And what _do _you have planned, miss Lucy? Do you have anything interesting that you could share?" The shiver returns with renewed force as I feel the colour draining from my cheeks, throat constricting and choking on the tea that passes through it. The delighted glint in Lucy's eyes is far from comfortable, and I _really _don't want Anna to find out what we're doing from _her. _

**Should've told her before, dumbass, rip the bandaid and all.**

You're not helping.

"Magical and physical endurance tests for the most part, she's curious about how a basitins body reacts to things. It's not like we're the most approachable species." I answer for the mage instead, shooting the mage a sidelong glance out of the corner of my eye. I send a quick internal prayer to whatever gods above that may listen, to hope that Lucy gets what I'm trying to say, Anna would rip my bloody head off. At least I'm not straight up lying, it's just a nondescript version of the truth.

**Whatever makes you feel better. **

"_Physical _tests, hm?" Anna raises an eyebrow as she stares at me, her gentle smile turning into a smirk. Ew, fucking _no _thank you, I feel bile in my throat just by her insinuating that. Ich, fucking Anna, is this meant to be revenge for the whole worrying shtick? I'll just try to keep a level head at least, I can't believe that _that _of all things got under my skin.

"I'm fairly sure she's gonna stab me with needles or something, or knives." I reply with a shrug, downing the rest of my tea, the warm liquid quelling the constriction. Now I just want _more _tea, god dammit. I see Lucy's poutout of the corner of my eye, the mage huffing as she crosses her arms.

"Aw, I'm not _that _bad Fuzzy!" I take her shriek of indignation with a grain of salt, a snort of laughter escaping my mouth as I put the teacup down. I'm just grateful that she picked up what I was putting down,

"I'm sure the time you were carrying around a vial of my blood was for _completely _understandable reasons, Lucy." Somehow, that pout of hers seems to deepen even further, huffing once more.

"Come ooooooon, that was ages ago!"

"It was barely a week ago, Lucy."

"See? _Ages_." Annas snicker cuts into the conversation, a genuine looking smile on her face as her eyes dart between the two of us.

"How is it that you manage to find the more… _interesting _individuals to be your friends, kid?" I roll my eyes and lean back into the chair, Lucy's faux downcast look of hurt disappearing as she turns her gaze to the elder woman. At least it's off of me, it feels _weird _to be looked at like that, especially from her.

"Whatcha mean by that, miss Anna?" She asks that question in an innocent sounding voice, her head tilting as she keeps eye contact with her.

"Well, if I'm not wrong, you're still friends with that Edward kid, right?" I give the woman a nod, my lips pursing into a line. Shit, I haven't seen him in a while, I sure hope he's okay. "I can't believe you've made friends with someone like that, I _do _know about how you two met after all, at least little miss Lucy here seems polite."

Lucy beams with delight, a proud smile on her face as she sits up in her seat, I can see her eyes shifting to look at me out of the side of her eye. A shiver runs up my spine again, sealing my lips shut instead of replying. Eaugh, Lucy? _Polite_?

**Who's to say it's not a part of her act to bely whatever her real thoughts are? Would you prefer this, or the deadpan emotionless Lucy?**

...I'm not really sure, I'd be unnerved either way.

"So, why are you here Lucy? I can't imagine that you felt like showing up randomly to say hello." I ask the mage as I raise a brow, tapping my fingers against the cup. It doesn't help that she wouldn't know about this place without some help. That seems to trigger something in her head, a flash of _something _crossing her face as she coughs into her hand.

"Right! I forgot bout that, Eddy told me where I'd find ya. He wants ya to come to the Inn in the town for somethin, I didn't bother asking." She informs me with a casual shrug, a small smile still on her face. I hum to myself, looking away from the mage. Edward wants to meet up, huh? I guess now's a good a time as any other to check up with the bastard.

"Alright, I'll head down there as soon as I can." I respond with a nod, finishing up my internal muttering. Hm, that reminds me, though. "Have you seen or been with him at all lately? I haven't seen him around, personally."

"Oh! He took me around town, like a tour guide and stuff, I haven't been outta Wreathwood before, so I dunno where much is. He helped pay for food and a room for the inn, too." She seems all too happy to respond, a twinge of glee flashing throughout my chest as my lips curl into a smile. Hah, on one hand, I'm glad that he's actually trying to make new friends with someone other than me, the one thing I'd thank his uncle for, it'd help him get used to talking to people.

On the other hand, he's taken Lucy around town, and paid for her room, _and _for her food. I'm gonna tease the fuck out of him, and it's gonna be _hilarious_, it's funny when he's flustered.

**I can't say I actually understand why you're so amused when you tease him, it's a strange thing to see.**

Because it's funny, I said as much. Other than that… I guess it's cause it's nice to be so casual with someone. It helps that he has fantastic reactions to it, I'm happy that he's trying though.

"So he's doing well, then?"

"Yep!" She sounds honest enough, although I can't tell if that smile of her's a genuine one or not. Maybe I'm overthinking it, putting that aside, it's nice to know that he's doing okay.

"So he sent you to come collect me, then?"

"Yuppa yup!" Her smile seems to widen even further, the mage leaning back into her chair as she swings her legs. Like an impatient kid, I really can't get a grip on how she acts.

"Well, let me get some things ready before heading out then, do you mind waiting around a little bit?"

"Nupe! I'll just be outside, I'll see ya in a bit." She giggles as she hops off of the chair, waltzing over to the door. She stops suddenly, as if remembering something, before turning around and curtsying. It looks weird in such plain looking clothes, but the weirdness suits her at least. "Thank you for your hospitality, miss Anna."

"No problem, little miss Lucy, stay safe though kids." Her eyes lightly up as Lucy beams before dipping out of the cottage, the door clicking shut behind her. I sigh to myself and rub my eyes, the stool sliding out from under me as I stand up. I hum to myself as I look over the table, and over the remaining cups. I feel like I've forgotten something…

"I put that chest of yours in your room by the way, Zeke, in case you were wondering." Anna chuckles to herself as she scoops up the cups, moving over to the sink. Ah, I was wondering where it went. I give the woman a nod before waltzing off, over to my room, silently opening the door and poking my head in. The bed's undisturbed at least, a lump laying mostly motionless amid the mound of blankets, rising and falling with slow breaths. A smile pushes its way onto my face as I step into the room, slinking over to the mound of cloth laying against the wall.

I throw my cloak over my shoulders, clasping it together carefully, taking my bag alongside it. I hum to m myself and look over the rest of the pile, shield laying atop the sheathed blade, gloves off to the side. I don't think I'd be needing these things, right? I wouldn't wanna be looking for a fight, anyways. I feel like I'm forgetting something else, too, but I can't even begin to imagine what.

**Why wouldn't you take your weapons with you? Just because **_**you **_**don't want to start a fight doesn't mean that it won't happen, better safe than sorry.**

That's a fair point, but… I feel weird about it, I won't neglect the thing for too long, just not now.

**Here I was thinking that you got over it.**

I am over it, just hesitant is all. I shove my hand into my pocket, rummaging through the empty space before clutching at the crystal within, clenching my fist around the rock as it thrums with power. It feels cold, the lingering strength inside nips at the tips of my fingers, but it's a welcoming feeling in the end.

**I'm not surprised, just disappointed, which is a regular occurance with you. If you ain't gonna take it along with you, then you better get ready to punch some faces in should it come to blows. But you wouldn't have a problem with that, would you?**

Regrettably, that's one of the few things I _know _I'm good at. I sigh to myself and let go, the crystal sinking back into my pocket, my gaze looking over to the lump on the bed. I waltz over beside and look down to her, a calm look on her face as she remains asleep, her eyes closed shut to the world. She shifts and squirms around a little bit, but doesn't awaken from her slumber, nuzzling further into the bed.

**So, are you gonna do something, or are you gonna stand around and look like a creep?**

Shh, I'm _thinking_. Part of me doesn't wanna leave her here alone, I wouldn't want her to wake up confused or anything, but she looks so _peaceful_. I don't exactly feel like I have the heart to yank her away from a bed, not so soon in the morning anyways.

**Leave her then, she's just a kid, it's not like she's made of glass.**

I know, I know… I sigh to myself and sit beside her, running a hand through her hair, brushing against her ears, a happy little bubble stirring in my chest as it twitches. Her gentle breathing stops for a moment, eyes squeezing shut before cracking open. She mumbles quietly as she pushes her head against my hand, looking up to me with half lidded eyes. Heh, it looks like she's barely awake.

"Morning, kid." I say softly, a small smile on my face as I dig a finger behind her ears. A happy little smile appears on her face, pressing against my hand in kind, her maw opening wide as she yawns. It's a barely audible one, masked by a soft squeak alongside it, but it's so _fucking cute_.

**I can feel my teeth corroding looking at this shit.**

"Sleep well?" Her response isn't exactly words, just a jumble of mumbling noises that clash together, eyelids drooping every so often before being forced back open. Barely awake indeed, then. "Alright, I'm just gonna go out for a bit, but I'll be back later."

That certainly gets her attention, at least a little bit, stirring and shuffling with a tad bit more energy than before, her eyelids opening just that little bit wider. She opens her mouth to speak, but a yawn seems to interrupt her instead, squeaking once more. I'm gonna have a heart attack someday because of her, I swear to god.

"I think you might wanna sleep in a little bit longer, the bed _is _pretty comfortable, isn't it?" My smile lingers as I run my hand through her hair again, the girls soft giggling echoing throughout the room, along with her purring.

"Mhm…" It's not exactly proper _words_, but it's a verbal answer that isn't purring, and that's something at least. She seems to sink even further into the bed, a foxy smile still on her face.

"I'll leave you to it, Anna will take care of you until I get back, and I _will _come back, I promise." She shuffles around in the bed for a little bit, a hazy look covering her eyes for a brief moment before she looks up to me, her golden eyes still partially covered by her eyelids.

"You promise?"

"I promise, and I don't break promises. Who can stop me anyways?" I respond to her with a determined nod, my smile turning into a cocky one as I give her a wink. That seems to elicit a nice reaction from her, her teeth bared into a happy grin as she giggles.

"Okay." Her answer is as short as the nod she gives, delight dancing behind her eyes as she continues to giggle. It's cut short by another yawn, though, the girl pressing her lips together into a short line as her eyelids droop once more.

"Heh, get some sleep kid." I ruffle her hair and lean over the girl, pressing my lips against her forehead for a short moment before pulling away. There's a light dusting of red on her cheeks, her smile adorable and wide as she presses into the bed. A happy snicker escapes my lips as I give her one final pat, yanking the sheets up to her neck and tucking her in.

**I loathe the thought of having to get used to this, can I change my mind and veto this shit?**

No, you're a big boy, if I can handle doing it, then you can handle seeing it.

**Ich, I can definitely wait for the next time. Alright, let's get out of here, making the crazy bitch wait doesn't seem like a wise decision, when do you think she's gonna skin us?**

Adrian! My scolding only seems to embolden the parasite, the sound of his laughter echoing in my mind even as I feel my face morph into a scowl, putting my gloves on with a bit _too _much force. The little prick.

I shut the door behind me _very _fucking carefully, closing shut with that familiar sounding click, straightening my back as I waltz through the room. There's an odd pep in my step, a light hearted feeling pressing up against my heart, I feel pretty damn _good _today.

**A marvel considering your little fuck up this morning, nearly fucking killed us from the insides. **

Shhh, details Adrian, details.

"The kid aint going with ya?" Anna's voice brings me out of my thoughts, the elder woman seated at the table, a book laid open on one side, another cup of tea on the other. I feel as if she craves and makes that particular brew a bit much.

**There's worse things to be hooked on.**

That's a fair point. Also, I didn't actually ask her if she _could _look after Mabel while I was out, whoops?

**God fucking dammit.**

"Nah, she's a little bit tired, and I'd feel bad if I tore out of the bed to drag her around a town full of humans. So uh, do you mind if you looked after her for a bit?" I feel beyond awkward as I ask her the question, rubbing at the back of my neck as she stares at me, although there's a soft look in her eyes.

"Pawing off your kid to me, hm? I'd prefer it if you'd give me some warning beforehand, but I've looked after bigger children before." There's a teasing tone in her response as she chuckles, raising her cup to her lips.

"And what's that meant to mean, Anna?" My lips curl into a smirk as I cross my arms, the woman chuckling once more.

"I believe I'm looking at him right now."

"Come on, I'm not a kid dammit."

"You sure fooled me." It's rather nice to chat to each other like this, nice and casual, a little bit of ribbing on the side, with a smile on both of our faces. I kinda missed this, really, just talking to her. I wish I could do more in return for her, if she'd let me _try _anyways.

**You regret leaving her.**

I do, kind of, it feels like it's been ages since we've talked, and I don't think we've actually spoken like this before, but I don't regret going off and doing my own thing, and it's nice to see her being so casual. . I wouldn't skip out on my favourite parasite after all.

**Well isn't that just charming. **

"Seriously though, thanks for helping me Anna." I do genuinely mean that, and I wish I could actually _show _how thankful I am, regardless of what she'd need help with.

"It's alright kid, I know what I can and can't handle." She says that with a soft smile and a nod, taking another sip from her cup. Fuck, now _I _want tea, god dammit. "You look a bit better than yesterday too, slept well?

Eh? I raise an eyebrow before stepping back, looking into the mirror. I rub a thumb over my face, dragging and rearranging my fur as I examine myself. Huh… I guess I do look a little bit better? It's nothing to write home about or anything, but at least the bags under my eyes don't seem nearly as deep and dark as yesterday.

"I guess I did." I mutter in response as I stand upright, a small smile forcing its way onto my face. I guess small differences in some things do matter, right?

"Alright, out you go kid, don't keep a lady waiting." I roll my eyes as the woman chuckles, even if she can't see it, my claws clicking against the wood as I make my way out of the room.

"I'll see you when I get back Anna, I won't be too long, hopefully." She doesn't respond verbally, though I do hear the thwipping of pages before I close the door behind me. I take in a big breath of air, my smile still staining my face as the cold morning dew clings to my throat. Ah fuck yeah, I got a _great _feeling about today.

**I feel like you're jinxing us.**

Potentially, but I actually feel good for once, lemme have this.

**Sadly, I feel as if you're partly infecting me with your unneeded glee, it's a terrible feeling.**

"Fuuuuuuuzzy, you in there?" The clicking of fingers brings me out of my thoughts, shaking my head as I look down to the miniature mage, the girl pouting as her fingers dangle in front of my face. Come on, I wasn't thinking for _that _long, impatient girl.

"I'm here, ready to go?" I answer her as I whap her fingers down. She huffs again, but she nods, twisting around and marching off. I can't help but feel somewhat amused by the sight, it's… cute in a way, I guess. We march up and over the hill, the morning caws of the birds that surround us is pleasant, as is the gentle swaying of trees.

**All this is rather nice, I'm almost surprised bout it. **

It is, isn't it? Honestly, if I had to settle down somewhere, I'd probably choose the woods, or somewhere along the outskirts of it. Less interaction with people I don't want to meet, too. Not that I'd settle down anywhere just yet, my wanderlust for this world isn't even close to its end.

**As is your want to get into trouble, I bet.**

I can't help it when it follows me around.

**And when you dive into it headfirst?**

Eh, small details.

"So, Anna doesn't know what we're up to?" I hum in thought as I turn to look down to the mage, her hands clasped behind her back as she skips beside me, a blank look on her face.

"I don't think she'd appreciate what we're doing is all, she's rather protective after all. I've made my choice to do it, and I'll follow through, this just makes it easier." I answer with a shrug, shoving my hands into my pockets, gripping the crystal within. I'll tell her some day, probably.

"I understand." It's a surprisingly adult answer, especially from her, a shiver running up my spine as I continue to stare. She's silent for a moment before she breaks out into a grin, the aloof look on her face fading away, replaced with an energy filled one. "Speakin of that, I got somethin I wanna test on ya!"

I can't help but feel wary as she digs through her pants pockets, holding out a vial in a hand. I raise an eyebrow as I take it from her, dangling it from my fingers and swirling the liquid around. It sloshes around in its glass prison, tinted a discoloured yellow, popping open the cork and taking a whiff of it doesn't seem to reveal anything else. It's a liquid that feels uncomfortable to stare at, lacking a scent.

I look down to Lucy, the little mage looking up to me with an expectant grin and a glint in her eyes, the girl almost seems to _shake _with excitement, stepping from foot to foot.

**If you drink this, I'll fucking stab you.**

I'm not drinking this, no fucking chance. I step away from the mage, the girls head tilting to the side as I snap a miniature brank from a tree, _very _fucking gently tilting the vial over it. The yellowed liquid sizzles as it comes into contact with the wood, a disgusting smell wafting through the air as it burns away the wood, though it eventually dies down.

I stare at the mage, blinking every so often, there's not even an ounce of shame on her face. I drop the stick, praying to whatever god above that it doesn't fuck up the environment, shoving the cork back into the vial.

"No." I say simply as I toss the vial to her, the mage yelping as she scrambles to catch it.

"H-hey! Come on Fuzzy, just a drop!"

"No."

"Come oooooooon, pretty please?"

"No, less talking, more walking." The mage doesn't seem very happy with that, her pout returning as she mumbles curses underneath her breath, shoving the vial back into her pocket. I don't even care what she wanted to learn from that, I'm not even gonna attempt it. That's going into the "fuck no" folder.

**Probably wanted to see what it'd do to our insides.**

Probably wanted to see if our insides could regenerate or someshit.

Bloody lunatic of a mage, Jesus Christ.

…..

A cold chill runs up my spine, raising a hand to tug the hood further down, the other clasped around the mug. There's too many fucking people in this inn, it's _morning _for fucks sake.

"Can't say I imagine that you'd be so skittish around here, you've been here before."

"Blow it out your ass." Edward chuckles to himself as he raises his mug to his lips, the frothy foam clinging to him even after he lets go. He's wearing rather plain looking clothes, armour forgotten for this occasion. I grumble underneath my breath and follow in kind, at least _this _tastes nice.

"Can't say I expected you to choose that to drink of all things, too."

"I like milk." And I don't feel comfortable enough to drink alcohol here, what's wrong with milk to begin with huh?. I feel my ears twitch and flatten as a cacophonous cheering echoes throughout the inn, why are people here so _loud_? At least Lucy's quiet enough, the drink she tends to distracts her from sulking, at least out loud.

"Sorry, if I knew this would make you uncomfortable, I'd have met up elsewhere." He seems oddly bashful as he apologises, a sad looking smile on his face. Ah, now I just feel like shit, _this _is how I'm gonna meet up with a friend after dipping for a few days? I don't know why I feel so irritated, but I should be able to deal with it.

**So much for feeling good, huh?**

"No, it's okay, I can deal with it." As begrudging as it feels to say, I know I can put up with it. I sit up that little bit straighter and give the man a grin and a wink, downing the rest of the drink. "What'd you want me for anyways?"

"Can't I just enjoy some time with a friend?"

"If that's the only reasoning behind calling me here, then I'd be perfectly fine with it." I lean into my palm and state at the guardsman, his smile doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Uncle told me about his offer to you." Ah, that certainly answers that question. I raise an eyebrow as I continue to stare at him, he seems… oddly fidgety, what's going on?

"Aaaaaaand?" I trail off with the twisting of a hand, the edges of my lips curling up despite the topic at hand. He's so _squirmy_, part of me enjoys it, but the other part's just worried.

"I know that you probably don't enjoy the thought of being stuck here for too long, and I don't want you to take up the offer just for my sake." That certainly takes a bit for him to struggle out, his eyes shifting from spot to spot on the table. He's not wrong in the slightest, there's a longing pang in my chest as my thoughts drift. I'd miss him honestly, first actual friend in this world, whatever the circumstances might've been.

"What makes you think I'd take the offer anyways?"

"Because it's something that you'd do." I can't help but snicker, he got a goddamn hole in one.

"Well shit, I can't exactly deny that, can I? Besides, I'm still thinking about it, I got time and your uncle can wait, why are _you _worried?" His face morphs into a little sneer, an arm wriggling around in a pocket before throwing something over to me. A yelp escapes my throat as a cold metal bounces off of my nose, fumbling with myself as I catch it on the way down.

"Did you just throw a fucking coin at me?"

"And I'll fucking do it again, you bloody idiot. I'm worried because I care for you enough to miss you." His sneer falls into a small frown, the guard looking down and away. A sad smile makes its way onto my face as I stare at him for a while longer, my heart feeling oddly… full, I think. Son of a bitch, he's making me feel mushy about it all.

**It's kind of gross, eaugh.**

Shush.

"Even if I don't join the guard around here, what's stopping me from coming back? You can't get rid of me that easily." I pipe up with a wink and another grin, kicking back into my seat. His frown still lingers, but at least it's a little bit more lopsided, nodding along with me. We're silent for a moment, the dull murmuring of the inn taking over the conversation. He still seems a bit downcast from all this, and the smile on his face doesn't seem entirely happy.

Well, we can't be having that, can we? I don't want to waste time being all mopey and shit. I run a thumb over the coin before tossing it back to him.

"Come on then, wipe that frown off of your face, next rounds on me." That certainly seems to brighten his spirits, a small smile on his face as he catches the coin with a flick of a hand.

"For once you'll be paying for me, instead of the other way around." I shrug in response, my eyes shifting from the guardsman to the mage, pout still plaguing her face, even if she doesn't look at me.

"That goes for you too, Lucy, we're all friends here." I lean over and gently nudge the girl, though she doesn't give much of a verbal response, she does shuffle a little in her seat, sitting up a little bit straighter. It's better than nothing, I guess. Edward utters something to Lyn as she approaches, though it's hard to make out from the din of the inn.

It doesn't take long for Lyn to return to the table, a trio of heavy looking tankards resting upon a plate that she deals out to the three of us, I can feel the liquid sloshing inside as I fiddle with it. This looks a bit pricey, but I don't mind. I drum my fingers against the wood for a moment, pursing my lips together, I feel like I should say something…

"I'll miss you too, you know." I say aloud, eyes trailing over to Edwards as he stops, already in the middle of lifting his drink to his lips, returning my stare. Uh, shit, I think that's kind of awkward, I can salvage this. "But this isn't the best time for worrying about the future, is it? Why waste our time together worrying about being apart instead of enjoying the time we have together? It's not as if we'll never see each other again, it just might take a bit is all."

Edward's silent for a moment, but a small grin seems to break through his silence, the man chuckling as he puts down his cup.

"It, I'm not the best with this emotional shit, you know that, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate this, and I don't just mean the free drinks. You have a good point though, fuck the future, lets focus on now." That's something I can agree with, my lips curling into a grin as I push my cup into the air.

"To the present, then!" I cheer aloud as I look between the two, Edward giving his own beam of a smile as he presses his own tankard against mine. "Come on Lucy, join in on the fun."

"Fiiiiiine." She finally caves in with a huff, shuffling forward and stretching to join in on the toast, her tankard smacking ours with a dull clacking. Her diminutive size probably doesn't do her any favours here, heh.

**Oddly enough, that's probably one of the few things you've said that seems somewhat intelligent. Not a great deal, mind you. **

I have my moments. Edward and I cheer aloud as we bring our cups back down, Lucy following up with a very enthusiastic 'woo'. She must still be a bit sulky, then.

**So, what's the plan for the rest of the day? We're not gonna go back to Annas, are we?**

I hum to myself as the thoughts in my mind stir, downing a mouthful of the drink, the smooth liquid running down my throat almost gleefully. It's alcohol of some kind, though I'm not too sure, it lacks the bitter bite of the cheaper grog, and it's not quite heavy either. Judging from the sigh of relief from Edward, he seems to enjoy it a fair bit, he has good tastes. I sure hope he doesn't notice my sight lingering on him for too long, he just looks so _relaxed_.

**For some reason, I'm hesitant to know what you have planned.**

I'm not the best with plans, but I have an idea on what I want to do.

**And what's that?**

My lips curl into a smirk as I take another swig from the cup. It almost tastes fruity, my senses tingling just that little bit. I'm not the best at planning, but there's some things I want to take the reins of.

I'm gonna give Gerome a visit, I got some questions I want to ask the old man, ones that I hope he can answer.


	53. Chapter 53

The rest of the time with Edward and Lucy was a rather calm affair, but a welcoming one, simply enjoying each other's company. It didn't last very long, Edward had to leave to tend to his own responsibilities within the guard, but it was an enjoyable time regardless. Although I do wish the drinks he ordered were _slightly _less pricey, I've no complaints otherwise.

Other than the fact it ended, I really should drag him along to the bar some more to chat, he seemed a little bit stressed. Probably has something to do with his job, or his uncle. Fuck! I should've prodded him bout his uncle, he knows about how underhanded he can be, right? I should've prayed just a little bit more.

**Good going, scatterbrain. **

You know, you could've reminded me.

**You're an adult, you can and should be able to handle yourself. Speaking of 'adults', why's the crazy bitch tagging along with us again?**

I should scold him for insulting her, but he does kind of have a fair point. I hum to myself as I look over to the mage, waltzing alongside me with a skip in her step. She's kind of latched onto me since I left the tavern, though she's been oddly silent ever since. She doesn't seem as brooding as before, too.

**You know, you could ask her, using your words, I've heard that's effective. **

Your personal wit is always appreciated, Adrian.

**As it should. **

"So, is there any particular reasoning you're still tagging along with me?"

"C'mon, I might wanna buy some things of my own, fuzzy. Besides, dontcha like spending time with me~?" Her faux pout doesn't do much to convince me, the girl huffing as I raise an eyebrow in response, rolling her eyes as she turns away from me. She doesn't elaborate further, I'm not sure why, but it… worries me, I guess.

"Are you upset or something?" She seems a little confused by the question, or taken aback, her head tilting as she furrows her brow, keeping eye contact with me even as she continues to skip, her head bobbing left and right.

"No? Why would I be?"

"You were kind of huffy since this morning, remember?" Did she forget about that or something? She was a bit broody throughout the _entire _time we were in the inn, surely she's not that forgetful. It takes her a bit to respond, the girl humming aloud before it finally seems to connect together.

"Oh, that? Nah, I didn't care that much, I wasn't gunna get angry over something like _that_. I just thought it was fun is all Fuzzy, don't worry your little head about it." She responds with a light tone, giggling all the while as she reaches up, tapping the tip of my nose. I feel it crinkle as I pull back, rubbing at it with a finger, the girls giggling filling the air. I, what? Fun?

"What do you mean by that?" I ask her once more, nice and slowly, keeping an eye on her. Am I missing something here, or is this just her being a pain in the ass to read?

**There's not much of a point to trying to judge what she's thinking, if I'm gonna be honest, we both know she ain't the best with actual people. **

"That it'd be fun? Well, it's fun to see how people react to things is all, ya know? Both fun _and _interesting, people respond to different things in different ways, there's some entertainment to be found in examining how they act." She sounds… rather cold as she answers once more, a shiver running up my spine as I continue to stare. The small smile on her face doesn't match her words, not in the slightest, and the inquisitive looking glint in her eyes doesn't exactly help to soothe me either.

"Isn't that kind of callous? To treat people like they're subjects to be examined?" Her face falls as she pauses for a moment, my claws scratching against the stone as I wait beside her, a finger of hers raised to her chin in thought.

"Perhaps it is, but I'd rather test such things _now _rather so I can be better at dealing with more sociable activities in the future than to be unprepared _then_, ya know?" I hum to myself and rub the back of my neck, my mind wandering for a moment as I stare into the dirt. I suppose that I understand her reasoning, but it still sounds… _strange_, I guess is the best word for it.

"I mean, I _guess_ I can understand, I just think that type of thought process might be a bit off putting to some people is all." That's not even touching on how impersonal it sounds, has she been doing that since we've met to test me? How long has she been doing that in her life, then? Is her plain faced studious side her more true side? She scoffs and rolls her eyes, bringing me out of my thoughts, standing at the tip of her toes to jab my nose with a finger. She huffs and pouts as I flick her hand away, it's an amusing sight despite, well, this whole thing with her.

**I think it's worrying that you still find this girl enjoyable in some way, though I'm not surprised you've attracted the attention of someone like her.**

What's that supposed to mean, huh? Her morbid curiosity is… worrying, yeah, but I'm sure there's something good inside her. At least, I can hope. I motion with my head away from the street before walking away, the girl rushing to skip by my side. We do need to get to the town center some time today, after all.

"C'mon, it's worked for me so far, and you know I'm not exactly the best with people. I prefer books, and magic, the experimentation of magical theory and it's practical effects is something that I can understand far more than emotions." That glint in her eyes returns with her glee, though it's at least a more pleasant one than before, a wide grin on her face as it sparkles. It's rather endearing actually, despite what she's said before, I'd like to imagine that there's a genuine purer wish to fulfil her desires hidden behind her off putting demeanor.

**Isn't this the same person that tried to make us drink something that'd probably burn our insides like acid? **

Maybe I'm being a bit too lenient, but there's some hope for her to be better at dealing with people, I can handle her.

**I'm not surprised, just disappointed.**

"That's why I'm a little bit interested in you, ya know?" _That_ certainly catches me off guard, raising an eyebrow as I glance towards the scholar, her smile still stretched wide.

"I uh, I don't know why actually, I just know that you're a weirdo." I roll my eyes and jab a finger into her cheek, the girl's indignant sounding yelp is _hilarious_, a mirthful chuckle rumbling in my chest. I can hear her aggravated huff, though I don't pay it any mind, she can handle some ribbing if she can dish it out.

"You're not _quite _what I expected from what I know of basitins, there's little bits of you that doesn't stack up _just _right, a puzzling outlier that I _will _figure out!" She sounds so _proud _and determined as she stands that little bit taller, her grin set firmly on her face as her eyes twinkle. I don't know why I feel so pleased seeing it, maybe it has something to do with her seemingly being genuine, but it's rather entertaining. It's better than mindlessly walking, we'll get to the town center eventually, but it'd be dull. She's on the right track at least, magically resistant my arse, I already know I'd make a poor basitin, but that did seal the deal in a way.

**God I hope she doesn't rub off of you or anything, that'd be a fucking nightmare for me to deal with, I don't want one and a half of her. **

"You know, I could _tell _you what I know, I'm sure I can answer a few questions." It's an honest to god offer, but it's one that she doesn't seem to enjoy very much, her face scrunching up into a frown as she huffs, her hand thwapping against my arm in response. She's got the upper body strength of a kid, it doesn't quite wipe away the teasing grin on my face.

"No, bad! I am a _scholar_ that's prying into something that actually seems _fun_, if I have to ask a question then I will, but I _do not _want you spoiling things for me without me trying." I still can't help but laugh at the girl, her indignant huffing returning in full force, a pout on her face as she crosses her arms.

"Alright alright, I'll yield, just don't make me do things that'd actually maim me permanently." The elbow she drives into my side does little to subdue my chuckling, though I do honestly mean it all. The drive that she has seems honest enough, though I do wish it didn't have morbid connotations to go along with it, I can handle it.

**What's the odds of this chick actually figuring us out without some answers, anyways?**

Very low, in all honesty, but if she wishes for this path, then who am I to deny her? It helps that I'm getting something out of all of this, too.

**Ich, I'm surprised that our mind hasn't been turned into a vegetable from the magic that we **_**have **_**used, and I ain't anticipating the day that it might happen. Maybe our brain's too fucked to be **_**more **_**brain damaged because of, well, limbo. **

That's an idea, if nothing else, but how would that work? Our brain should _physically _be a basitin, even if we think differently from them, from whatever remnants of memory we do have. But how would that explain our magical weakness when we're similar to basitin in any other way? We're about as hardy as them, right?

...My head hurts thinking bout this, I'm gonna chalk it up to some bullshit.

**Another thing we're in agreement with, entirely because I don't want to have to feel your brain explode from actually thinking bout things. **

I'm good at punching things, not the thinking part.

**A fact that I am sadly **_**very **_**aware of.**

"That's a bit more people than I expected." The sound of Lucy's voice brings me out of my thoughts, looking forwards and into the town center, _swathes _of humans chattering among themselves as they rub shoulder to shoulder, a good portion of those buying attempting to barter with the merchants amongst the din of the murmuring.

Huh, that is a lot of people, more you know.

**This **_**is **_**a town center. **

There's gotta be days where it's less populated, right? I wasn't aware that so many people came here, I've been here, what, 3ish times maybe?

**Perhaps, perhaps not, maybe you should respond to the chick before she gets angsty over you ignoring her.**

"Can't say I expected this much either." I tack onto the conversation, nodding along as I peek over the heads of the humans. Gerome should be somewhere around here, right? It's not like the bastard would be anywhere else, maybe he's around the fountain again? Fuck, I really don't remember this place very well, doesn't help that we've managed to pop up at an entrance that ain't exactly close to the fountain either. "So, you gonna fall off to do your own thing now, or do you wanna tag along for a bit?"

The mage hums as she cups her chin, her eyes squinting as she peers into the crowd. I uh, just realised something. She's fucking tiny, especially compared to the people aroundhere, she's _actually _gonna get lost in the crowd if she doesn't hang onto me, or at least stay close.

**That's, rather funny actually, hah. **

You're _actually _enjoying something?

**I am capable of enjoying things every now and then, like Anna's tea, I'm just stuck having to deal with you is all which dampens the experience.**

"I think I might 'tag along' with you for a bit longer while you're lookin for the old man, just to get an eye for things, and to see what I might actually want." She finally replies with a nod, reaching out to me with an outstretched hand, and a cocky looking smile on her face. "Will you guide this fair little maiden through with your hand, dear Fuzzy?"

"Not a chance, I don't see any 'fair maiden' here anyways, grab my cloak and hold on tight if you're _that _worried." I rebut the girl's wish with a rather gruff sounding snort, a flicker of delight flashing in my chest for a moment as she whines aloud. She does as she's told at least, her hand clutching the side of my cloak. Alright, should be nice and easy now.

The muttering of the crowd fills my ears as I force my way through them, ignoring the dissatisfied calls and jeering that comes from them as best I can, furrowing my brow as I still my beating heart. Tsk, too many fucking people here, too many _humans_ crowded around me. I can handle it, I just wish it wasn't necessary. I spare a glance down to Lucy, the miniature mage doesn't seem exactly excited to be stuck here judging from the terse frown on her face, though she's holding on well enough.

It feels as if it takes a while, but I finally force us through the crowd, breathing a sigh of relief as we stand in front of the fountain, the stream of water gushing from it twinkling in the morning sun. Huh, I never noticed how nice it looked to be honest, never bothered to check it.

"Oy, young Zeke and lady Lucy! What is you two doings here?" Ah, that's right, I _did _come here for a reason. I tear my sight from the fountain to the man, his familiar mirthful grin plastered on his face as he taps his fingers against the wooden desk of his store. I give the man a nod as I approach him, Lucy's grip on my cloak finally falling.

"Nice to see you again, Gerome. I have a few questions I want to ask you, if you got the time for it." Gerome raises a brow at the demand as his smile falls somewhat, but he doesn't seem to object to it, his fingers pressing against the wood just that little bit harder.

"I understand, will put time aside very soon, is rather lazy day compared to most. And what about you, lady Lucy? Are you needing something?" His warm grin comes back in full force as he turns to face the girl, leaning forward ever so slightly. She hums to herself, resting a finger on her chin in faux thought.

"You wouldn't know anyone who got things on the more magical side, would ya? I haven't been outta wreathwood much, and I'd like to see what people here got in store. It might help with some… ideas I have for Fuzzy here, too." The little smile she sends my way sends a small shiver up my spin despite my best efforts to smother it, it's an uncomfortable smile to look at.

**Can we **_**please **_**get rid of her before she skins us in our sleep or some shit?**

I don't think she'd go that far, hopefully, anyways. If Gerome notices my discomfort, he sure as fuck doesn't show it, a low chuckle coming from the merchant.

"Oy, Gerome does have some people in mind that could help, would be best to come back later, such people would not be around here just yet, uncomfortable with so many peoples around." Lucy seems half happy with that answer, her chest puffing out initially before falling soon after, a pout on her face.

"I came all the way here just to be told to come back _later_?" She seems a bit huffy about that, her nose turned up and away from the merchant as she crosses her arms. I snicker to myself and rest a hand atop her shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

"If it makes you feel better, he probably does it to a lot of people." I've no doubt that he's gonna do it to me very soon, too.

"It _doesn't_ at all! I got important things to do and stuff." Gerome chuckles in return, a sly looking smile on his face as he shrugs.

"Gerome can't control what my 'friends' do, just give suggestions and ideas to thems. Why doesnt young lady Lucy take a look around other wares?"

"It's because she'll get lost in the crowd, can't exactly see where she's goingl." The ribbing is well worth the jabbing in the side from her, Geromes laughter filling the air, I can feel Lucy's stare boreing into my side.

"Hardy har har, I'm small and never grew, you're _funny_. Oh so _funny_, Fuzzy." I can't really take the ire behind her words very seriously, raising an eyebrow as I look down to her, face scrunched up into an angry scowl.

**Must you really antagonise the chick like this? You ain't a smart person, but surely you know that provoking her isn't the brightest idea.**

I know I know, but it's fun for now. Besides, this is _technically _helping her in a way to get used to people like me.

**I hope that there isn't more like you, it'd save the remains of **_**my **_**sanity.**

"What are you gonna do, stab me or something?"

"I already know how your blood flows outta you, I have so many other _ideas _that need testing." The way she growls her words doesn't exactly do much for me, beyond making me smile further anyways. It's pretty hard for her to be intimidating, in a physical sense anyways. I might regret it later, but it's fun to poke fun at her for now at least. A coughing interrupts out back and forth, tearing my sight over to Gerome once more, his lips curled up into a smile, a seemingly genuine one

"Is funny seeing young Zeke chattings with people, but there's other places for lady Lucy to be seeing for magical things, should she be so impatient." Gerome pipes up with a rather friendly tone, the girl letting out a heated huff.

"Phooey, you're no fun old man." The girl's mumbling doesn't go unheard, the merchant raising his hand to his chest in mock harm.

"You hurt me, lady Lucy! Gerome was so kind to you, too."

"Don't you call yourself old?" Lucy's lips curl into a smug smile as she stares up to the merchant, her hands clasped behind her back as he chuckles, it's a throaty sound.

"Fiiiine, I'll go do my own thing, don't worry bout me too much or anythin." She finally says after a few moments, huffing as she rolls her eyes. I'm not gonna let up on ribbing her, this is hilarious.

"I'm sure you're more than capable of handling yourself Lucy, just don't get stuck in a crowd or anything." She doesn't seem too amused by that, judging from the hiss and the sharp jab of her shoulder into my side. She mutters to herself as she sticks her nose up and away.

"You're being so _mean _today."

"I prefer the terms _talkative _and _friendly_, for your benefit. You know you're my favourite teacher at the very least, so I'm not gonna be genuinely mean."

"I'm your _only _teacher."

"That makes you the best by default then, no? Tell you what, I'll be more than down to practise magic some time tonight." That offer certainly seems to catch her attention, the girl planting her hand on her hip as she squints her eyes, staring at me while she hums aloud.

"Do you _prooooooomise _you won't stand me up, Fuzzy~?" She purses her lips together as she hums loudly, standing on the tips of her toes as she leans into me with a squinting stare. I resist the urge to pull away as best I can, drawing a cross over my chest with a finger.

"I promise I won't 'stand you up', and I don't break promises. You'll have to find somewhere for us to go though, somewhere away from Anna." She rolls her eyes and pulls away from me, thank god, the edges of her lips curled up into an unwilling looking smile.

"Ugh, fine. I'll catch ya later then fuzzy, and you too old man!" She gives the both of us a toothy grin before turning away, leaving us with a pep in her step.

**She's staying a fair bit away from the crowd.**

I can't help but snicker at the sight, though I can feel her. I don't like the crowd either, though I don't think it's for the same reasons. I turn my head from the girl to face the merchant, raising a brow as I look over his smirk, the twinkle of… something in his eyes.

"...yes?" The man chuckles in response, his smirk turning to a soft smile as he waves his hand dismissively.

"Don't be worrying, young Zeke, am just appreciating you interact with other people." He says that in a low tone, the man leaning forward ever so slightly. What does he mean by that? I 'interact' with other people plenty enough.

**Who do you even talk to anyways? Not including me, or whatever else is inside your head.**

Well, there's Edward, Anna, Lucy, Gerome of course, I talk to Mabel a lot I think…

**And who else?**

...I think I get what he's talking about. Those are who I talk to a fair bit anyways, not including the one off moments with others.

"I talk to who I want to." I finally respond to him with a shrug, pursing my lips together as he sniggers, his hand reaching out and clasping my shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

"Is good thing, Gerome thinks. But you come here for questions, da? Let's give you some answers." Ah, right, I did come here for a reason, didn't I?

"How's Vector doing? Have you found anything on the people who attacked him?" Gerome seems somewhat surprised by the question, an eyebrow raising as his smile falls.

"Ah, you remembers that, da?"

"I do have reason to, my friend nearly had his head caved in from it." I respond with a scoff, the merchant coughing into a hand before rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oy, is good reason to remember incident. Have been doing some digging since being back, talked to a few friends." I hum to myself as he responds, tapping a finger against my chin. "Nothing just yet, is little to go on."

"You talked to the captain here, yet?" The merchant suddenly stiffens, his eyes darting from side to side before dragging me closer to him, his hot breath forcing my ears to twitch, a soft frown on his face.

"Do not be mentioning our 'connection' around here if you can help it, is not good for business and for _me_. But da, he is lookings into it. Have you met the man?" He speaks in a hissing whisper before pulling away, returning to his familiar approachable mask. I frown myself, rubbing at the pained shoulder as I look around the place myself. There's not many people that stand around here, and if they were further away, I can't imagine that they'd hear our what we've been saying over the din of the crowd.

**Better safe than sorry, especially when it comes to secrets. **

"Mhm, we've had a talk." Much to my displeasure, my insides still burn just that little bit as I recall meeting the bastard. I've no idea why he rubs me the wrong way, though I know it's not beneath him to pull at some strings should it be needed. Maybe it's just me still being pissy over his 'offer'. "How do you know each other anyways?"

**Being offered a job here doesn't seem bad.**

Not that one, the one where he offered to spill the details on why Edward loathes non humans. That certainly got me going.

"We have… coinciding goals, part for profits, but mostly for peoples." It seems like a noble enough reasoning, and I can already imagine what people they've talked about. From Geromes morals to the captain's attempts to subtly nudge his nephew into better territory, at least when it comes to relations with non-humans. Tsk, I feel like garbage that I'm somewhat glad about that too, I'd be missing a friend were it not for that bastard. At least now I know for sure that they work together, who knows how deep that rabbit hole goes. "Not to question young Zeke, but why the questions? Surely is not just for little Edward, da?"

"It's not just for him, although he's definitely a reason. I'm not exactly a person that can blend in here, you know? Whoever commands them probably knows that I intervened, and I'd like to stay on top of that so I'm not caught off guard from anyone in the future. I don't want others to be hurt because of association." I'm not sure why, but it feels rather, I dunno, _odd _to think about all this, a disgustingly familiar feeling of paranoia resting in my chest as the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Fucking paranoia, I could've missed this feeling a bit more.

**We both know who you mean by 'hurt from association', and your merchant friend here can certainly tell.**

That he does, without a doubt. There's a knowing look in his eye as he nods, his face set to a determined visage.

"Oy, will keep up to date information. It's good to see young Zeke stepping up! Will not always be young forever." His laughter accompanies his warm sounding words, his hand clasping my shoulder and squeezing it tightly, in good faith I'd hope.

**Wish it wasn't the shoulder he fucked up before, god dammit. **

"Well, I've people I care about a bit more now. I don't want to faff about and let my friends be hurt." And her, but that's something that goes unsaid.

"Is good thing, that's for sure. Is there anything else Zeke needs?" I hum for a moment, pursing my lips together as I wrack my head for _something_.

"I don't think so, but it was nice to see you around."

"Young Zeke should be visiting some more, maybe buy something special next time?" I roll my eyes as he gives me a wink, his chuckle echoing in my ears as I turn my back to him.

"I'll see you later, Gerome." I bid my farewells to him as I wave, my eyes turned onto the crowd in front of me. I'm less than happy to have to go through these people again, maybe I could take the long way around instead…

"Oy, Zeke." My ears twitch as I hear the old man call out to me, humming aloud as I turn to face him. His normally happy looking face lacks its warmth, a serious glint of steel smothering it. "You should tell Anna sometime, she is good lady, will be upset, but would prefer painful truth over blissful lie."

What's he- Ah, right, the whole magic thing, he probably knows she wouldn't… approve of it all. I open my mouth to speak, although I can only gape for a moment, sighing to myself anr subbing my hand over my face.

"I'll think about it." He doesn't seem happy with that answer, but he accepts it with a nod, motioning away with his head before tending to his wares.

He's not wrong, not in the slightest, but I don't want her to worry about me so much. Not any more, she's done more than her fair share to help me. That's understandable enough, right?

**She's a rather motherly person, from what I can gather, she'll worry for you regardless. Not entirely undeserved though.**

I know, I know. I grind my palm into my eye as I sigh, shaking my head as I begin to march, towards Anna's house I go. The din of the crowd sounds muted on my ears as I pass through it, it feels kind of lonely without someone around.

**And what am I, chopped liver?**

_Physical _company, then, there is a difference between the two.

**Even **_**Lucy**_**?**

Even her, strange as she is, it's better than nothing. I hum to myself as paws pound against the stone, I feel like I'm forgetting something...

Fuck, I never poked fun at Edward for chatting up Lucy, god dammit!

**Ugh, I can't believe I'm stuck with you.**

…**..**

"Ka-kaaaaaa…?"

"Kaaaaaa?" Come on kid, you got this, you're _so _close.

"Caaaaaat?"

"Thata girl." Mabel's happy squeaks echo throughout the room as I rest my hand atop her head, digging my fingers behind her ears while I wrap my arms around her, a good job deserves some reward, right? The girl yawns and nestles her head into the crook of my neck, her hands still clutching at the children's book. Pride swells in my chest as I return the affection, resting my chin atop her head and squeezing around her gently. She's a surprisingly quick learner, though I suppose picture books might be better suited for a kid to learn from than anything else.

Her first word is cat, and hopefully, the first of many. A part of me still worries about this… odd connection between the two of us, though for the moment at least, it's smothered by the joy of the moment. It doesn't matter for now, right now, _she _matters more than it. My lips curl further upwards as she purrs aloud, ears twitching happily as the rumbling of her chest reverberates into my side.

I'm proud of her for managing to survive her shitty upbringing, I'm proud of what she's done so far, and I'll be proud of what she does in the future, and that's something I can say with absolute certainty. Her yawning brings me out of my thoughts, it's a gentle squeaking sound that sounds absolutely _delightful_, the girl mumbling something underneath her breath.

"You feeling okay, kid?" I ask her in a low tone, a delighted spark flickering in my chest as she nods into me, my fingers ruffling the back of her head.

"Mhm, m'just sleepy…" She responds with a yawn, her eyelids drooping as her book slips from her fingers. I can't help but chuckle at the sight, slowly taking the book off of her with a spare hand.

"You wanna get some sleep then?" She answers with a hum and a nod, a gentle sigh escaping her maw as her eyelids flicker open and closed. I chuckle and scoop her up in my arms, the tired girl doesn't even have the energy to let out that squeak of hers as I shuffle across the bed, gently lowering her head atop the pillow and dragging the bedsheets upwards. She nestles herself into the pillow and yawns once more, her head lolling to the side before looking up to me.

"A-are you going out again?" My ears almost feel strained to hear the girl whisper, a sad smiling forcing its way onto my face while I rub a thumb across her cheek.

"Mhm, I'll be gone for a bit, but I'll be back when you wake up."

"D-do you promise?"

"I do, kid, and I don't break my promise." That seems to placate her somewhat, though she still squirms beneath the sheets, her half hidden eyes does more than enough. "What's wrong, kid? Are you okay?"

"...D-did I do a good job?" She barely speaks above a squeak, just like before, half lidded golden eyes shining in the darkness as she looks up to me. The light of her eyes is clouded with worry, the girl's unrest seems to rise even further _after _she asks the question. I can feel my heart yearn and twist within my chest at the sight, she looks as if she's on the verge of breaking down.

"You're doing a _fantastic _job, Mabel, and I'm proud of that, proud of _you_." I answer her truthfully with an honest smile, gently cupping her cheek as I lean down, pressing my lips against her forehead. She stiffens for a moment before letting out a shuddering sigh, the girl melting into the bed below. I linger for a moment before pulling away, a bright smile on her face as she finally closes her eyes shut.

She's a child, just a kid, one seeking validation and _approval _for doing something right. As lovely as the sight is, I can feel lingering rage bubbling in my veins. What sort of things would she have been 'approved' of before? I think it's best that I don't know for now. I want to cherish this moment, where she's happy, where she has someone approve of what she's done and what she's learnt.

...I also don't think I have the heart to pull away just yet, I'll wait for a while before leaving her, just to look over her for a bit longer. The coloured meld of the fur on her cheeks feel soft to the touch, a happy trill escaping her lips as I continue to caress it.

I'm surprised that you haven't piped up yet, Adrian.

**While I don't **_**agree **_**with what you're doing, you're a stubborn bastard, and I know that this isn't something I can change your mind on. That being said, I'm rather enjoying the emotions you feel at the moment, it's… pleasant. **

You know, you could just say that you're enjoying _yourself_, Adrian.

**Blow me. **

A soft throaty chuckle stirs in my throat as I look down on her, her breathing slowing down into a crawl as she stills. She's a good kid, and deserves some good sleep. Maybe I should look around to buying some thick bed wraps for her if we ever move around, it'll be far better than nothing. I still linger for a while before pulling away, my claws tapping against the wood as I slink around, reaching down to the chest and pulling my gloves back on. My sight lingers on that chest for a moment, pursing my lips together. I should find a use for that charred shit, maybe the Templar emblem could convince a few people to fuck off.

That aside, I'm ready to go. I don't want to leave Lucy waiting after all.

**That's something I've wondered about you, Zeke. Why do you hold yourself to promises like that? Realistically, you can't keep every promise, nor would it even matter, it's not like there's a divine law to hold you to it either.**

I'm not sure, really, I like to think it grounds me, even for a moment. It gives me a goal to keep in mind, as shot as my memory is, I'd like to remember _some _things. I probably can't keep every promise to the very letter, but that won't stop me from trying anyways. There's nothing holding me to my promises beyond myself, and you know just how stubborn I can be.

**Much to my displeasure. What about the girl, then? **

I pause for a moment, my hands wrapped around the knob to leave the room, my neck twisting to check on Mabel. Still unmoving, her chest rising and falling beneath the covers, lips still curled up into a foxy smile.

She's a very important promise indeed, to myself, to her, and to whoever else I might've met. I'll do everything in my power to keep that promise from being broken.

And I _won't _break promises.

**Authors note: There's probably gonna be a small hiatus from this chapter to the next, unless I crank shit out real quick. I'm visiting family and such, it's the season after all. Merry Christmas, reader. **


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